Sorry to hear this.
I read about accidents like this happening more often than it should, and without proper education and the growing number of paddlers we will see more and more of it.
Please wear your PFD, and wear it correctly. Find one that is comfortable even if it's an inflatable. It does no good if you are not wearing it.
Here is what I think about (my wife, my mom, my dad, my grandparents, my sisters). If something would happen to me how would it effect them. I know my sisters, parents, and grandparents are not financially dependent upon me, and my wife would be ok, but emotionally it upsets me to think about it because I have lost a brother, and I want to hang around for my family, and friends.
I wear my PFD all the time because I want to come home just as a left, and a PFD is not a guarantee life saver, but it sure can improve your chances of recovering from something bad happening. I have personal experiences, but I won't go through them, but last year I had an incident and it could have easily been an accident if I hadn't had my PFD on.
The more accidents that happen the worse of a reputation, and less and less people will be willing to give the sport a try. Then we'll have more......nevermind. Just please wear your PFD, if not for me do it for your loved ones.
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