Whitewater Express river guides rescue man who falls into Chattahoochee

An elderly man had to be rescued from the Chattahoochee River on Saturday after falling into the water just below the last big wave on the whitewater course, according to multiple sources.

The incident on the island just below the Eagle & Phenix Mill residential complex happened as the last rafting trip of the day was preparing to enter the final rapids, said Whitewater Express owner Dan Gilbert.

The man, who was not wearing a flotation device, was not one of the outfitter’s customers, Gilbert said.

“We were setting up on the other side of the river for the trip to come through Cutbait when two of our guys heard the commotion,” Gilbert said.

Raft guides Taylor “Tater” Stevens and Daniel Gilbert Jr. were in kayaks and were able to move to the Columbus side of the river. There they found the man hung up in a smaller wave just below the large man-made wave at the Eagle & Phenix powerhouse.

“Tater was able to get to him, get him over the kayak and get him on one of the islands,” Dan Gilbert said.

City emergency personnel responded, but the man was not transported to the hospital for medical attention.

“I think the Whitewater Express guys did a good job,” said Columbus Fire and Emergency Medical Services Assistant Chief Robert Futrell. “ Our guys got turned around by 911 before they ever got there.”

Richard Bishop, president of Uptown Whitewater Inc., the entity that manages the 2.5-mile urban white water course, said witnesses told him the man was on the island and fell into the water just below the large wave. The island, which can be accessed from the Chattahoochee RiverWalk, is a popular place for people to watch rafts come through the course.

Authorities did not have the man’s name or age, but Dan Gilbert said he appeared to be in his 70s.

“I think this is a good example of how having our staff on the river makes the river safer,” Gilbert said.

Futrell agreed.

“That is what we have been saying all along. Having more qualified eyes on that river is going to make it safer,” Futrell said. “I am glad the Whitewater guys were on the river last night.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Whitewater Express river guides rescue man who falls into Chattahoochee."