Kayaking death of Bromont director general an accident, coroner rules
Jean Langevin was pinned inside his kayak with a broken leg when he drowned during a charity event in September 2016, according to a Quebec coroner's report.
After an investigation, Dr. Paul G. Dionne has ruled that the Bromont director general's death was accidental.
Langevin was taking part in Circuit bleu, a kayaking tour of the island of Montreal that raises money for children with cancer.
He was sharing the kayak with a co-worker and the pair was on the second leg of the four-day event, making their way on the Rivière des Prairies from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to Laval's Berge des Écores, when they lost control of their kayak.
A broken leg
In his report, Dionne said that several participants needed to be rescued while descending the Cheval Blanc rapids along the Rivière des Prairies.
Dionne also specified that Langevin was not an experienced kayaker, but that he did partake in a training session and participated in three preparatory kayak outings.
"It appears that when Mr. Langevin's kayak had the accident, the lifeguard had his hands full with helping the people who were in the water," wrote Dionne, adding that the lifeguard was alone on his jet ski at the time.
That's when Langevin's kayak struck a buoy and his partner was thrown into what Dionne described as "tumultuous" waters.
After the collision, Langevin suffered a compound fracture to his left leg and the bone pierced through his skin — he was then swept underwater.
While he was able to resurface a few times, Dionne concludes that Langevin was unable to be freed from his kayak.
"It's very likely that's what held him back inside the kayak," wrote Dionne.
Rescuers tried to help Langevin get out of the boat, but they had to use picks and ropes to untangle him from his kayak. A few minutes later, he went into a cardio-respiratory attack and was transported to hospital.
Langevin was pronounced dead later that night at Sacré-Coeur Hospital.
Recommendations for next Circuit bleu
In his report, Dionne said it appears that the organizers have taken the necessary measures for the next charity event.
However, he added, the response time following Langevin's accident could have been improved if there were at least two lifeguards on each jet ski.
Dionne outlined several recommendations for the upcoming Circuit bleu event:
- Only experienced kayakers should take on the legs of the trip that require a higher level of expertise or are affected by poor weather conditions.
- Only kayaks specifically designed to withstand high currents should take on the more difficult sections of the waters.
- The traffic flow of kayakers should be limited to a certain number so that rescue workers are not overwhelmed if they need to provide help.
