A woman who disappeared from outside her Oregon home on a day of heavy rain was found to have drowned after her waders filled up with water as she tried to clear out a culvert.
A report from the Jackson County sheriff said the woman was reported missing shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16. She had last been seen when she went out to check on flooding at her home on rural Kane Creek Road.
A swift-water rescue team from the county fire agency found her in the creek about 100 yards from her home. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
It was determined that the woman had been clearing debris from a flooding culvert under her driveway. She was wearing waders — the waterproof boot/pants combination used in fishing — and they apparently filled up with water, dragging her into the culvert and then into Kane Creek.
The sheriff said the woman’s name and age would not be released.
The home on Kane Creek Road is about 3 miles south of the community of Gold Hill, between Medford and Grants Pass on Interstate 5.