Parents of drowned kayaker sue Army Corps over dam signs
The parents of a kayaker who drowned last year after being swept over the Dashields Dam on the Ohio River have sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for wrongful death, saying the Corps hasn’t done enough to warn boaters about the dangers of the dam and others like it.
Amber and Jack Evans, parents of Brittany Evans, said in their federal suit that the Corps has long known that fixed-crest dams like Dashields, near Edgeworth, are dangerous but didn’t install adequate signs and warnings.
Brittany Evans of West View and her friend, Helene Brandy of Coraopolis, both 25, were swept over the dam and drowned on May 20, 2017.
Ms. Evans’ body was found that day. Ms. Brandy’s body was pulled from the river near Aliquippa nine days later.
At the time, Ms. Brandy’s family said that signs posted upstream to warn boaters weren’t adequate, and the Army Corps later announced a plan to add more warning buoys.
Dashields, like other dams on Pittsburgh’s rivers, is a fixedcrest, or low-head, dam that spans the river and can be difficult to see from the water.
There are warning signs and buoys for all the dams, but the lawsuit says there aren’t enough and they aren’t big enough or prominent enough.
“For boaters, kayakers or swimmers in the upper pool mov-
towards the Dashields Dam, it is virtually impossible to see that there is a dam ahead crossing the entire width of the Ohio River,” the Evans’ lawsuit says.
Other drownings have occurred at Dashields over the years. According to the complaint, some 400 people in America have drowned since 1960 after being swept over low-head dams on the nation’s rivers.
In addition to inadequate signs, the lawsuit says the Corps should monitor the pool with cameras and have an audible warning system to alert boaters who are getting too close to the dam crest.
The suit is asking for loss of earnings potential for Ms. Evans and damages for pain and suffering.
Jeff Hawk, head of public affairs for the Army Corps in Pittsburgh, said he couldn’t comment on the lawsuit, which will be handled by the Department of Justice.
But he said the Corps is committed to safety on the waterways and conducts regular safety programs with its various partners. He said the Corps added more buoys at the Dashields Dam after the drownings but said the best way for boaters to avoid tragedies is to educate themselves about the hazards of the rivers.
“They need to know the rivers before they get on them,” he said.