Police release name of victim in Jordan River kayaking accident

The kayaker who died after being held underwater by a Jordan River spillway on June 13, 2019, has been identified as 57-year-old Warren Brent Parkin. Photo: Unified Police Department

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, June 13, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified the man who died Thursday evening in a kayaking accident in the Jordan River, in Taylorsville.

The victim was 57-year-old Warren Brent Parkin.

“Our condolences to the family of Warren B. Parkin who was the victim of an accidental drowning on the Jordan River yesterday,” a tweet from the Unified Police Department said.

The accident happened just before 6 p.m. in the Jordan River at about 4600 south, an earlier tweet says.

“The kayak he was in flipped over on a spillway on the Jordan River at 4600 South,” it says. “The force of the water kept him submerged.”

According to a UPD source, Parkin was kayaking with a partner, who was able to get him out of the water and perform CPR until first responders arrived.

Parkin was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hello Mr. Gephardt,
    This dam needs to be re-shaped so it does not recirculate swimmers. This is one of the so-called “drowning machines”, google it. This has happened before, and it will happen again, until this feature is reshaped. If you can figure that out who owns this dam, please urge them to re-shape it so it will no longer be a drowning machine.
    Thank you,
    Bill Hunt

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