Search ongoing for teenager involved in Marion County kayaking accident

MARION COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – There is an ongoing search for a missing teenage kayaker in Marion County.

Marion County EMA Director Steve Lamb says around 3 p.m. Saturday, a 17-year-old male kayaker was on the Sequatchie River at Ketner’s Mill.

He says at some point, he tipped over into the river below the low head dam at Ketner’s Mill.

The low head dam at Ketner’s Mill where multiple kayaking accidents have occurred.

Since then, a rescue operation has been ongoing with numerous agencies across Marion County, including a team from Hamilton County STARS.

Lamb says that they have faced difficulty due to the thunderstorms we have seen in recent day, saying there was a delay Monday morning due to a storm.

It is not the first time a kayaker has had trouble along the Sequatchie River.

Lamb said, “It’s not necessarily the kayaking, but it’s low head dams. If you get too close to one of these dams you’re going to die… You stand here on the banking and it looks very serene. This water is pouring over this little dam and there’s nice bubbles at the bottom. It looks like a picture that you would see online, but when you get too close to it, if you get caught in the undertow.”

In our archives, we found a previous incident where a 38-year-old man from Florida was killed when he was flipped over next to the dam in 2018.

Ketner’s Mill on their website cautions against swimming in the Sequatchie River and has warning signs around the dam.

Lamb says that the Mill will remain closed to the public as they continue the rescue operations and are currently assisting the family of the victim with all of their needs.

He said that the kayaker was not wearing a life vest and says everyone who paddles on the water should wear one.