Kayaker gets pinned under fallen tree in river and drowns in Great Smoky Mountains

An Ohio woman drowned while kayaking in the rocky Oconaluftee River along North Carolina’s western border, according to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The kayaker was identified as Megan Thompson, 34, of Cleveland Heights, the park said in a news release.

Searchers found her body after witnesses reported Thompson missing mid-afternoon Thursday, Feb. 24.

“At 2:18 p.m., park rangers were notified by Thompson’s companions that she had disappeared underwater and not resurfaced along the Oconaluftee River near Smokemont Campground,” the park said.

“According to witnesses, Thompson floated over swift rapids before being (pinned) between a fallen tree and the riverbank.”

It took emergency responders about 40 minutes to free Thompson and bring her to shore, where she was pronounced dead, the park said.

Thompson was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Cleveland Opera Theater, according to a post on the theater’s Facebook page.

“Megan was a warm and generous collaborator whose passion for the arts, arts education, and community engagement enriched the lives of thousands throughout Northeast Ohio,” the theater wrote.

“Megan’s work was integral in steering our organization through the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic with creativity, imagination, and determined vision.”

A funeral is expected in North Carolina, the theater said.

National Park Service officials said drownings are rare in Great Smoky Mountains, but still count as the third leading cause of death inside the park. (Traffic and plane crashes are the leading causes of death, officials said.)

“This is the first fatality in the park in 2022 and the 61st drowning on record,” the park said.

Rivers in the park are considered unpredictable because localized storms over high peaks can cause rapid rises in water levels at lower elevations, the park says.

“As river levels rise and water velocity increases, the risk of serious injury or drowning becomes greater,” the National Park Service says. “Most drownings result from getting a leg or ankle caught in an underwater rock ledge or between boulders. The force of the water will push you over and hold you under.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 6:39 AM with the headline "Kayaker gets pinned under fallen tree in river and drowns in Great Smoky Mountains."