A 69-year-old Eagle man died after his kayak flipped over when it hit a fallen tree in the Boise River Monday afternoon.
James Laughlin died by drowning, according to an Ada County Coroner report issued Tuesday.
The incident occurred on the south channel of the Boise River, west of Eagle Island State Park in western Ada County, around 2:45 p.m.
Initial reports indicate Laughlin and another person were kayaking on the south channel of the Boise River and were just past Linder Road when they encountered a tree that had fallen across the river.
It appears they weren’t able to avoid the tree. When the kayaks hit it, they flipped over, trapping Laughlin underneath the log and inside his kayak.
The other person was able to get out from under their kayak.
That person got out of the water and ran to a nearby home on Duck Alley Road to get help, where a resident called 911 at 2:55 p.m.
Deputies arrived at house minutes later and found the overturned kayaks in the river. Deputies got into the water and tried to free Laughlin but were unable to do so because the force of the water was too powerful.
While that was going on, crews from Meridian, Eagle, and Middleton fire departments arrived to help.
Meridian Fire took the lead and eventually had to use a chainsaw to cut through the tree to get to Laughlin, who was removed from the river just before 4 p.m. and declared deceased at the scene.