Falling tree kills wife canoeing on river, injures husband and a child, NC officials say
A falling tree crashed into a canoe, killing a woman and injuring her husband and a child on a Western North Carolina river, officials said.
The woman was on the water with her husband and a young family member when tragedy struck Sunday, July 2, William Boone, senior officer with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
The incident was reported just after 1:30 p.m. on the North Toe River. It happened near the Penland area of Mitchell County, roughly 50 miles northeast of the popular mountain town of Asheville.
The wildlife commission said a man and woman were traveling the river in a canoe while a 12-year-old was operating a kayak on the same waterway. Then, a “large tree fell,” hitting both of the boats, officials told McClatchy News in an email.
The woman in the canoe died at the scene. She was identified as 49-year-old Yumiko Virant.
Officials said Virant’s husband was flown to an Asheville hospital, and the 12-year-old was rushed to the same medical center on the ground. Both were severely injured, the wildlife commission told McClatchy News in an email.
Everyone on the outing was wearing life jackets. The incident is being investigated, officials said.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Falling tree kills wife canoeing on river, injures husband and a child, NC officials say."
