Swollen Housatonic River claims life of Sharon teenager

The constant rainfall of the past week was especially cruel for family and friends searching the Housatonic River for the body of 16-year-old Kaelan Paton, who was swept away in the water last Tuesday, June 16.

Tuesday was the last day of school. When classes ended, Kaelan and eight friends from Housatonic Valley Regional High School biked over to the river for a celebratory swim. The boys were all sophomores and freshmen; most were from Cornwall and Kent. Kaelan, a freshman, lived in Sharon.

Kaelan was a strong swimmer who had spent much of his childhood in, on and near the river. Many members of his mother’s family live on Dublin Road, which overlooks the Great Falls on the Falls Village side. His father, Dave Paton, is an experienced whitewater kayaker and a longtime member of the Housatonic Area Canoe and Kayak Squad (HACKS). Kaelan learned to “paddle†in a boat on the river, under whitewater conditions, at a young age. He and his family often swam in the Housatonic, even when the water was very rough.

In fact, family members said that Kaelan and some family members had been in the river on Sunday, June 14.

When school let out Tuesday, Kaelan and his friends returned to a ledge on the Amesville (Salisbury) side of the river. According to one of the boys, Kaelan jumped off the 40-foot ledge, which is about halfway between the bottom of the falls and the fenced-off viewing area at the top of the falls.

He safely pulled himself out of the water, climbed up and jumped again.

At that point, two of the other boys decided to try the feat themselves. But unlike Kaelan, they were not experienced in negotiating the fast-moving currents and eddies in the river.

“Kaelan knew that river well, but he obviously didn’t fully understand the danger of the Great Falls at that water level,†his father said. “At that level, there’s a current that goes around and can suck you upstream, back toward the falls.

“When the falls are low, it’s a safe place for people to responsibly have an adventure. But at the volume it was at, it was a death trap.â€

Kaelan dove in to help the boys, while others in the group ran up to nearby Housatonic River Road to try and find a telephone. One of the boys stopped a passing motorist and asked her to call 911 on her cell phone.

Rescue workers arrived quickly at the scene, and two of the boys were found clinging to the slippery rocks at the bottom of a cliff. They were hauled up to safety.

One of the boys who had gone to seek help reported that, according to his friends, Kaelan was standing on the rocks and had reached down to help the other boys out of the water. As those boys were climbing up onto the rocks, Kaelan disappeared.

State police and volunteers from area fire and ambulance squads searched the river until about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Because of safety concerns, they discouraged members of the HACKS and other paddlers from entering the water. A dive team from Goshen and a rescue boat from Cornwall were deployed on the water. The state police helicopter flew overhead, searching the water and nearby shoreline. Northwest Regional Ropes Team volunteers also came out.

The following day, Wednesday, June 17, police suspended their search on the river early in the morning. A plane was sent out at one point by the state police.

At that point, local paddlers took over the search, and continued to go out and scan the river every day.

Chris Capecelatro, from North Canaan, a competitive whitewater paddler, came to the river early Wednesday morning with his kayak. He had left his job in Manhattan because, he said, “I couldn’t just sit at my desk, I had to do something. I taught that kid [Kaelan] how to paddle.â€

Many of the search efforts were organized around Clarke Outdoors, a Cornwall-based river expedition firm. Many of the area HACKS boat with the Clarke family.

“David’s boater friends all rallied around and have been searching the river every day since then,†said Jenifer Clarke, co-owner of Clarke Outdoors. “We’re just praying that the river will drop soon.

“Most of Dave’s friends are world-class boaters. It might be dangerous out there for the average boater, but there are many out here who are way above average and know their limits, and really know the river.â€

Even on a fairly calm day, the water in that section of the river can be fairly treacherous. The water circulates in unexpected ways around the many large rocks, underwater caves, trees and vines. Known as the Rattlesnake, it is rated Class IV (or very difficult) by whitewater paddlers. Class V is extremely difficult and Class VI is defined as “unrunnable.â€

Capecelatro had commented Wednesday that, though the emergency responders from the state police and fire and ambulance squads are skilled and knowledgeable, they are not familiar with the peculiarities of the river. He described the ways that the water can funnel down in a sharp vortex around the rocks, and then recirculate quickly back up, throwing water around in a fast-moving eddy.

Boaters searched as far south as Bull’s Bridge in Kent, although many felt it was likely the body had been trapped at the Great Falls, either held down by the current or caught on one of the trees or vines that do the shore and center island in the Rattlesnake.

 The river’s height and turbidity kept searchers from making much progress. The water reached flood stage on Sunday. The water was moving at a rate of 4,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Tuesday, which was four times the median rate, historically, for that date, according to the USGS Web site.

On Monday morning, the river was at 5,790 cfs. The median for that date is 554 cfs. The highest the rate has ever been on this date is 3,440, a record that was set in 1945.

But by Tuesday, the water levels had dropped slightly. They were still high, at 5,060 cfs; but apparently that small drop was enough to make a crucial difference.

Kaelan’s family and friends have held daily vigils in his memory, some at the Dublin Road (Falls Village) homes of his mother’s relatives, the Palmer family. His mother, Catherine Palmer, also held an informal gathering at the Sharon Congregational Church on Sunday, after the regular church service.

“We have to believe that his spirit is no longer in his body, and that his spirit has gone to a better place,†she said.

“The thing I will remember the most about Kaelan is his kindness and compassion for all living things,†his father said. “He was the kind of person that made you want to be a better person. It was an honor to be his father, more than anyone could ever imagine.â€

Kaelan was a vegetarian, and some of his friends have declared June 30 Veggie Day in his honor. Efforts are also underway to plant a tree in Kaelan’s memory, perhaps at the side of the river, a tribute to two of the things he loved to do: climb trees and swim in the river.

No plans have been made yet for a funeral or formal memorial service. When it becomes available, information will be posted at tcextra.com.