Man dies in wakeboarding accident in North Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) – A 72-year-old man was killed in a wakeboarding accident Sunday morning on the Columbia River near the western end of Government Island, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said.

At 11 a.m., responders received a 911 call reporting that someone had been injured by a boat propeller. When paramedics arrived, they found the man already dead. His body was taken to the M. James Gleason Boat Ramp, where it was turned over to the coroner’s office.

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According to officers, witnesses reported that the man was wakeboarding in the water.

At one point, the wakeboard’s tow rope became entangled in the boat’s propeller, then pulled the man under the boat, where he suffered a head injury. He was trapped under the boat for about five minutes before those with him were able to pull him out of the water, deputies said.

The medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause of death and his name will be released to the public at a later time.