Inquest examines dangers of rafting near Dimple Rock at Ohiopyle

Aug. 23—Julie Ann Moore thought she was going on a beginner-friendly whitewater rafting trip, one that would be appropriate for her 13-year-old twin daughters.

The Ohio woman sent text messages to her mother-in-law and a friend that said she and the girls were going to meet her boyfriend of two years, Steven Cole, for a weekend trip in Ohiopyle in August 2022. They were going to run the Lower Youghiogheny River with an outfitter.

It would be "one last adventure before school starts for all of us," Moore said in one of those messages.

The words Moore used in describing the trip — easy and novice — convinced her family's attorneys that the 50-year-old woman did not fully understand the dangers posed by that section of the river based on information presented to her on the outfitter's website.

"We are convinced ... that she never would've picked that trip and, if she did, she would've picked a guided one had she known about Dimple Rock," said attorney Jonathon Stanley on Wednesday.

His remarks came during the first day of a coroner's inquest into the Aug. 13, 2022, death of Moore of Worthington.

She was among 71 people on 17 rafts taking part in the river excursion organized by White Water Adventurers. The raft she was in with her daughters and boyfriend did not carry a guide.

The raft overturned in the Dimple Rock rapids, and Moore was trapped underwater by a rock slightly farther downstream.

Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly convened the inquest and panel of six jurors and two alternates in an effort to determine if any additional safety precautions could be recommended surrounding the commercial rafting industry in Ohiopyle.

Evidence shown

Jurors on Wednesday learned about the layout of the river, safety measures already in place and other aspects of the fateful trip. They were shown a video from a guide's perspective of rafting through the Dimple Rock rapids, aerial photographs and a safety video that plays dawn to dusk at a kiosk near the river entry in Ohiopyle.

Dimple Rock is notorious for its danger. The massive rock is known to have a divot, or a vacuum, that can trap people who are thrown into the water.

Stanley suggested to jurors several recommendations they could make to improve safety based on Moore's experience. They included a requirement that outfitters specifically mention Dimple Rock on their website and in the waivers participants sign, and that guides account for everyone in a raft after the rapids before letting the next boat come through.

There are numerous safety measures undertaken by outfitters meant to help rafters navigate through the Dimple Rock rapids. They can include guides in rafts, kayakers and a guide standing on Dimple Rock directing rafters with hand signals.

Park ranger Amos Ludwig, who has experience as a guide, said having an expert in a raft is the best way to avoid tipping over in those particular rapids, though hazards still exist.

"Your chance of spilling out ... at Dimple with a guide in your raft is significantly lower than without, regardless of if you're getting hand signals or not," Ludwig said.

Guides are along for rafting trips booked through the outfitters, but it is up to the customer to decide if they want a guide in their raft. The outfitters are required to have a specific number of guides based on the amount of people on a trip under an agreement with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said Ken Bisbee, Ohiopyle park manager.

There can also be guides in kayaks who provide an additional safety element based on what customers in that particular trip decide about guides.

At the tail end of a trip is the "sweep boat," which is meant to make sure everyone gets through safely, Ludwig said.

"They just didn't"

Moore chose a "guide escorted" rafting trip that White Water Adventurers' website at the time said was appropriate for children 12 and older, Stanley said. She signed a waiver that had limited details about the dangers associated with whitewater rafting, Dimple Rock and the possibility of being trapped underwater.

At Dimple Rock, there is a calm pool just before the rapids where rafts pull over and guides talk about safety precautions before the boats go through one-by-one. There is an option for rafters to bypass the rapid by walking a short trail to the other side.

Moore's then-boyfriend, Steven Cole of Columbus, Ohio, said in a recorded video statement that they weren't given specific warnings about the danger of Dimple Rock nor were they told about the bypass option.

They were the first raft through, and all four people in the raft tumbled out.

Cole said he reunited with his raft and, eventually, the girls, and they watched as the rest of the boats in their group came through. Guides told them it was likely Moore was farther downstream, though the girls said they saw their mother go underwater and not resurface.

"We all became very concerned about Julie," he said.

Stanley told jurors that another rafter came through shortly afterwards and saw Moore face down under water but there wasn't a guide close by to notify.

Cole estimated it was 30 to 45 minutes before Moore was located. A headcount before letting the rest of the group come through could've brought the dire situation to light sooner, Stanley said.

"I don't think that's a revolutionary recommendation," Stanley said. "That's what they ought to do anyway; they just didn't."

Juror questions

The outfitters are required under the agreement with the state to do safety briefings before entering the river and discuss the dangers of specific rapids, Bisbee said. Park rangers sometimes sit in on those briefings.

"(Rafters) are listening," he said.

There is a safety video at the put-in spot next to the park visitors center, but it is not required viewing by anyone who is on a guided trip because the guides cover all of the information in it. Reilly suggested jurors consider if it should be made available on all of the outfitters' websites.

Outfitters undergo safety spot checks by park staff and a formal review every couple years. The most recent one was completed a week before Moore's death, Bisbee said.

Some jurors already were discussing the need for additional safety precautions, such as more in-depth language in waivers and activity-specific waivers. They were permitted to ask questions of witnesses, unlike criminal proceedings in which the panel only listens to evidence. The waiver that Moore signed covered a multitude of activities offered by White Water Adventurers.

"Right now, that's a little broad," one female juror said. "I wouldn't understand the significance of the risk of entrapment with all the other stuff in there."

Customers could be required to watch the safety video before being able to sign the waiver, a second female juror suggested.

"I want to know that people understood what they're seeing because there's risks associated," she said.

Ohiopyle averages 1.2 million visitors annually, roughly 6% of whom take a rafting trip.

Of the approximately 718,000 people who have rafted over the past 11 years, there have been three drownings, Bisbee said. The number of rafters is decreasing — there were 85,000 in 2012 compared to 54,000 in 2022.

Expert testimony is expected Thursday morning when the inquest resumes. After testimony is over, the jurors will meet privately and decide what, if any, recommendations to make.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .