Crime & Safety

Monrovia Man Dies in River Canyoneering Accident

The man lost control of his boat on the Kern River and was later found dead, authorities said.

A Monrovia man died in a boating accident on the Kern River in Tulare County on Sunday after his boat went over a waterfall, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.

Kevin Westervoorde, 26, was canyoneering with friends in a "dangerous and technically challenging area" near Carson Falls on Sunday, authorities said in a news release.

"Westervoorde failed to exit the river before the falls and was swept over and into treacherous class V+ rapids," the sheriff's statement reads. "Friends of Westervoorde watched him go over the falls but were unable to assist him due to the force and dangerous flow of the river."

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U.S. Forest Service firefighters recovered Westervoorde's body from the river at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.


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