Be careful in these prime river float months! Cowichan River is a great spot for a summertime float, but has its risks as well.
The BC Coroners Service recently released a summary report of all the drownings that have occurred over the past decade, from January 2012 to December 2022.
All the deaths analyzed in the report were determined to be accidental drownings that may have been caused by other contributing factors.
Drug and alcohol consumption were present in some of the accidental drownings as well as swimming experience, weather and time of day.
Among the most deadly bodies of water in the province, only one from Vancouver Island was represented — Cowichan River.
Cowichan River came in at number four on the deadliest river list with six accidental drownings. The Fraser River came in first with 53 deaths in 10 years — the next highest was the Thompson River near Kamloops which saw nine drownings.
That being said, Vancouver Island’s accidental drownings accounted for 20% of the province’s total deaths by drowning.
In 2022 alone, there were 86 accidental drownings, with an average of 76 deaths per year since January 2012. Last year saw the most deaths in a single year of the whole 10 year summary.
The data provided by the BC Coroners Service indicates that most people who accidentally drown will do so between June and August with the highest death toll being in July.
According to the data, 78% of those who drowned in those 10 years were men aged between 19 and 29-years-old.
The most common cause for the accidental drowning, according to the BC Coroners Service, were boating, swimming and falling into the water.
Data isn’t available on the last two years, but between 2012 and 2020, drugs and/or alcohol were determined to be contributing factors in 38% of all accidental drownings — 52% in those aged between 30 and 39-years-old.
The BC Coroners Service released this information in the hopes that it encourages an abundance of caution and safety practices used when British Columbians are enjoying recreational water-based activities this summer.
