Maryland man killed by falling tree while kayaking in Preston County

KINGWOOD, W.Va. — The name of a kayaker killed Sunday at the Cheat River by a falling tree has been released by the State Division of Natural Resources.

Andy Malinoski, Press Secretary – Media Relations, for the Office of Marketing & Communications, identified the victim Tuesday as David Treadaway, of Dundalk, Md.

Preston Sheriff Dan Loughrie shared information from Preston 911, which received the emergency call. The call reported the incident occurred near Seven Islands, south of the Macomber area.

The initial report to 911 was that there was one fatality, one head injury and one with unknown injuries, “however not as severe as the other two.”

“There were some storms that went through the county near that time frame, however unsure if that was the cause of the fall,” according to 911.

Preston County Fire/EMS, the Preston County Swift Water Rescue Team, Tucker County Boat Team and HealthNet aeromedical responded.

According to Malinoski, the three men were on a float trip in kayaks from Parsons to Macomber, during a storm.

“After seeking shelter from the storm, a tree fell on two of the kayakers, resulting in severe injuries which resulted in the death of one of the boaters,” Malinoski said in an email. “The other sustained a broken arm, broken clavicle, and sustained a back injury from being hit by the tree.”

He did not say why the tree fell or if the men were in or out of the water, when they were hit. Division of Natural Resources Police are investigating the incident.

Story by Kathy Plum, Dominion Post