A certain amount of tenacity and determination may be advantageous to an organism. Combined with a lack of common sense and an excess of bravado, it may well prove deleterious.

All local rivers were swollen out of their banks in northern Arkansas when over 10 inches of rain fell on November 5, 1995. Stephan Burchard, 27, along with his brother and two other fellows, decided to run Big Piney Creek, a challenging whitewater run even at normal levels, in their rafts "of the type obtained by sending in Marlboro cigarette packs."

Dressed in overalls, a sweatshirt and sweatpants, Burchard was ill-prepared for the cold water. They arrived at a low-water bridge crossing Indian Creek on their way to the Big Piney put-in. They could not proceed any further, however, Indian Creek was flowing 3-4 feet over the bridge.

Indian Creek flows into Big Piney after coursing through two miles of dangerous willow jungles, so the men decided to put-in at the bridge. They would float two men in each raft. A crowd of experienced whitewater paddlers had gathered at the bridge, looking at the unusually high water. The paddlers implored the party not to put onto the stream, but they would not be swayed.

The men climbed into the rafts and IMMEDIATELY capsized, swimming over the bridge. They climbed back out and launched again, undeterred by the continued pleas from the experienced paddlers and their first swim.

The party managed to float 200 yards downstream before swimming AGAIN. At this point, Burchard's brother bowed out and hiked back up to the bridge. The two other men climbed back into their raft, and Burchard, determined to venture onward, paddled his raft solo.

Within a half-mile, they flotilla encountered a tree across the stream. Both rafts capsized. Burchard was pinned against the tree, and efforts by the other two men to free him were futile.

A search party located Burchard's body later that day. He had apparently freed himself from the pin and drowned swimming for the bank. (He had not been wearing a lifejacket).

Despite warnings from experienced paddlers, despite capsizing twice shortly after embarking, and despite the water flowing menacingly 3-4 feet over the top of the bridge, Burchard chose to raft a cold, flooded, and hazardous river. His tenacity was selected against, removing him from the gene pool forever.

Submitted on 08/09/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/accidentid/969/ Cited 8/9/07

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I don't think I'd trust a raft "of the type obtained by sending in Marlboro cigarette packs" in a swimming pool much less a white-water river at flood stage. Ignoring experienced paddlers and not wearing a life jacket really pushes this one over the edge! Thanks for sending it in.

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
That was no accident, that was evolution! Thanks for the story!

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