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Dam Accident
People who knew Doug Killingbeck say they aren't surprised he risked
his life when he saw a teenager in trouble on the river. The 48-year-old tried to rescue John Przydatek, 16, of Harrison Township after the canoe the teen was in capsized Saturday near the base of the Huron River Dam in Milford. Both drowned in the choppy waters, the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday. John's family was making funeral arrangements Sunday. John was canoeing as part of a trip with Knox Presbyterian Church in Harrison Township, family spokesman Rob Ritts said. John was a junior at L'Anse Creuse High School, was on the wrestling team and liked camping. "He touched a lot of hearts for the little bit of time he had on this planet," Ritts said. Michael Przydatek, John's father, said his son was looking forward to getting his driver's license this summer and was an avid outdoorsman who had been to Alaska. A 16-year-old friend who was with John was cut and scraped, but was able to make it safely to shore, Milford Police Chief Tom Callahan said. Killingbeck was described by family members and friends as a person who would help anyone. "He was without a doubt a selfless guy," his brother-in-law John Kilby said. Family members said he knew the dangers of the water and that he was taking a risk. Killingbeck wore a life jacket, but the force of the water stripped it off him, police said. "He knew what he was getting into before he did it," Kilby said. "I'm sure he probably envisioned: 'What if that was my kid?' " The devoted father of Brianna, 15, and Natalie, 12, enjoyed spending time with his family. Karen Killingbeck, his wife of 17 years, said her husband was a Christian and never missed his daughters' events, including dance, soccer, track, basketball and volleyball. "He held the whole family together," she said. Killingbeck had been canoeing since he was 17. In the mid-1980s, he canoed the AuSable River Canoe Marathon as an amateur and placed fourth, his family said. "His passion was being out on the river on a canoe," Kilby said. In March, he participated in the Klondike Canoe Race in Oscoda with Ed Adams of Fenton, 77. "Doug always looked out for the other person," Adams said. Killingbeck loved the Huron River, and part of the reason the family moved to Milford was to be close to it. "He will always be a hero in our hearts," Karen Killingbeck said. |
#2
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Dam Accident
That is so sad.
My thoughts are with their friends and family. -- Wilko van den Bergh wilkoat}dse{d otnl Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe ---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.--- http://kayaker.nl/ |
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