Authorities recover body of missing kayaker from Trinity River near Crandall, Combine
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Authorities have recovered the body of a missing kayaker on the Trinity River near Crandall and Combine.
The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a possible missing person at U.S. Highway 175 and the Trinity River in Crandall on Sunday, June 23, 2024, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Family members reported that Anthony Villarreal, an adult male, had been missing since Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
On June 22, 2024, family members found Villarreal's vehicle under the U.S. Highway 175 bridge at the Trinity River in Crandall, where he had previously kayaked.
The Crandall Fire Department requested assistance from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team, who responded to the scene. Deputies also requested assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety Helicopter (DPS-101), which quickly located Villarreal’s kayak approximately six miles south of the U.S. 175 bridge, tangled in trees.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team launched a boat from the FM 3039 bridge between Crandall and Combine. Villarreal’s body was found approximately 300 yards north of the FM 3039 bridge. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Judge Bardin and was sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will lead the primary investigation, as Villarreal is believed to have drowned on a public waterway.
Reading articles like this just breaks my heart.
Last week, Dale and I received a questionaire from Jeff Moag at Rapid Media and one of te question he wanted us to comment on was…
“According to U.S. Coast Guard stats, 39 percent of fatal kayaking accidents involve paddlers with less than 10 hours experience. Why do you think beginners are so vulnerable, and what can the industry do to stop it?”
The above news article puts all this in perspective. Beginners are vulnerable largely due to the fact that they purchase their first kayak from the likes of Wal Mart or Tractor Supply, where they get absolutely nothing in the way of guidance or expertiese and they do this BEFORE they seek out training or advice. How many people have we spoken to that regret theit first boat because it was totally wrong in every category, Quality, Fit, Purpose, or Weight Capacity. All they got was a crappy kayak at a cheap price.
Information and Guidance are crucial to beginners. When you read the article above look at the basic mistakes that cost this man his life.
1. RIVER CONDITIONS The East Fork has been flowing at a very high rate from the rain on the east side of Dallas. On the Wednesday in question, it was running at 7.5ft and 4750 cfs. If you know that reach, that is way too high and fast. Normally when asked, I steer folks away from paddling betweem US 80 and FM148 in Scurry because it is narrow, loaded with fallen trees, has long distances between access and has high muddy banks that make getting out if you have a problem. It’s not a good place for an experiencd paddler , much less a beginner.
2. He did not tell anyone where he was going. No one even reported him missing until Sunday.
3. He went alone. I know people paddle alone all the time, but this is why you don’t.
4. From the photos I saw, he was in a discount store kayak. No word as of yet if he was wearing his PFD.
Could proper equipment, advice and training have saved this man’s life? Probably. Who’s responsibility, is it? The root of the problem in my opinion is the manufacturers. In their quest to keep the sales dollars rolling in they are willing to load up the likes of Wal Mart, Amazon and even hardware and feed stores with cheap low end boats.
There was a time that you went to an experienced local dealer like Mariner Sails or Mountail Sports or High Trails and bought a boat from an experienced paddler, who would make sure you had proper safety gear and always suggest you go seek out some paddling instruction. Now you can order a $200 SOT and get it delivered to your house the same day.
Even in those “good ol days” we had people come to the DDRC with poorly selected boats and gear and we, like we always do we would give them the talk and point them in the right direction. I have tried to lead by example. Heck, when my granddaughter walks past the display of kayaks at WalMart, she says “look at the death boats Grandpa”. I would never recommend any boat that I would not paddle myself or any store that I wold not be comfortable buying a boat from.
In the interest of safety, we implemented our Experience Rating system on the DDRC Event site. It may seem a little subjective and unfair, but those of us who make the rating decisions have been doing this a long time and we are trying to make sure that everyone is up to whatever event we are putting on, both from an ability and gear perspective. We want everyone to be safe.
This is why we try to have regular events open to the public to attract beginners so they can meet our members and consider becoming part of a group rather than going solo.
To that end, Dale and I are also trying to train the next batch of trip leaders and officers so that there is no learning loss as we get older and need to start handing over responsibility.
Over my 25 or so years with the DDRC, I am super proud of our safety record. It is not a one person chore though. It takes everyone to be safe and responsible. Thanks to all of you.
