Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 31, 1994 TAG: 9408310044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Katie Lynn Charlton, 22, has not regained consciousness since the accident that trapped her underwater for more than 10 minutes, said Sgt. Mick Reed of the Salem Police Department.
Charlton was canoeing with her boyfriend on the Roanoke River when their boat collided with a large tree limb in the water.
Charlton was trapped underwater when the canoe flipped and got tangled up in the branches. Her boyfriend ran for help, but rescuers had difficulty removing her from the bent, metal canoe, which had lodged under the tree limb.
Charlton wasn't breathing when rescuers reached her, police said, but emergency crews were able to revive her at the scene.
A day after the accident, Charlton showed some minor improvement, but there's been little change since then, Reed said.
"There's no bad news, but there's no good news, either," he said.
Charlton is in the intensive-care unit at Lewis Gale Hospital.
by CNB