Lehigh River rafting tragedy claims the life of 12-year-old student on school excursion
A 12-year-old boy drowned on Wednesday during a class rafting trip in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.
Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth grader at Pierson Middle School in Sag Harbor, New York, died when the raft he was riding in capsized on the Lehigh River in East Penn Township, according to local authorities. The outing was part of an annual school field trip that included a guided rafting excursion.
The Carbon County Coroner’s Office said in a press release that officials responded after receiving a report of a drowning near the river’s 99-mile marker.
All five people aboard the raft were ejected into the water when it overturned, the press release said, and one person did not resurface. The Lehighton Fire Department dive team recovered his body and transported him to a nearby staging area, the coroner’s office said.
The coroner’s office described the death as an accidental drowning.
Mike Parker, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesperson, told NBC News that life jackets were in use at the time of the accident, but added that “any incident involving a recreational boating fatality” would trigger a review of all safety equipment as part of the investigation.
Parker said boating can be unpredictable and that “fatalities are not something they deal with often.”
There were 10 recreational boating fatalities in Pennsylvania last year, eight of which involved people who not wearing a life jacket.
“But even with a life jacket on ... there’s still other factors,” Parker added. “And unfortunately, that’s what we seem to be dealing with in this case.”
Jeff Nichols, the superintendent of the Sag Harbor school district, said in a statement that “Cesar was a cherished member of our school family — a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
“His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways, and our lives,” Nichols added.
He extended condolences to Cesar’s family and friends and said school counselors are available to provide support.
Hilary and Steve Bretzik, the owners of Whitewater Rafting Adventures, said in a statement that their “entire team is heartbroken by what occurred” and that their first concern is for Cesar’s family and friends.
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