A man drowned Saturday night in a kayaking accident on the Linville River in the Burke County area of Pisgah National Forest. It was the second fatality on a Western North Carolina river this year.
The McDowell County EMS received the 911 call at 7 p.m. for an overturned kayaker. Rescuers arrived around 8pm and were on the scene until 1:30am. Emergency responders included Burke County and McDowell County rescue teams, the U.S. Forest Service, the North Carolina Forest Service, Oak Hill and Glen Alpine fire departments and Burke County React.
The accident occurred at the intersection of the Linville River with the Pinch In Trail which is an extremely steep and rugged hike-only trail.
The victim was identified by friends and family as Burton Greer of Atlanta.
His kayak became lodged on a rock. Other kayakers arrived to help after approximately 20 minutes. They pulled him from the river and performed CPR but he died on the scene.
The accident occurred just below the last Class 4 rapid, at a time when the river was unusually swollen after the recent rains.
