Man ID'd who died in Potomac River accident near Shepherdstown

August 04, 2008|By HEATHER KEELS

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V. - Officials on Sunday released the name of a 50-year-old man who died in a Saturday afternoon tubing accident on the Potomac River near Shepherdstown.

Michael David Humphrey of Burkittsville, Md., was pronounced dead at the scene, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Humphrey and his brother, Mark Alan Humphrey, 49, of Knoxville, Md., entered the river at about 2:30 p.m. about 200 yards below Dam 4, Turner said. Michael was in a "River Rat" inner tube, and Mark was in a "Fish Hunter" inflatable raft, he said.

The brothers soon became separated, and as they floated around Shepherd Island, one went around the right side and the other went around the left, Turner said.

As Mark came around the other side of the island to meet up with his brother, he saw a commotion on the West Virginia shore, Turner said. There, some good Samaritans had seen Michael floating down the river out of his tube, unresponsive, and pulled him out to administer CPR, Turner said. The rescue effort was unsuccessful, and Michael Humphrey was pronounced dead at the scene, Turner said.

His body was taken to Morgantown, W.Va., where an autopsy was scheduled for today, Turner said.

The Jefferson County (W.Va.) Sheriff's Department and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Section are participating in a joint investigation, Turner said.

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