ME's Office: Capsized Kayaker Dies In The Hospital

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The kayaker who capsized while trying to pull litter out of the Monongahela River Thursday has died.

Crews located the kayaker in the water near the Rankin Bridge in Braddock. As soon as rescue crews reached his body, they began CPR.

But the Allegheny County Medical Examiner says 46-year-old Ronald Vahosky of Munhall died Thursday evening at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital not long after he was pulled from the rough waters.

Despite efforts of paramedics, Vahosky died in the hospital emergency room. He was a member of a group called the "Tireless Project," which is dedicated to river cleanup.

His kayak was found lodged under a barge near the 11th Street boat ramp in Braddock, where he entered the choppy water.

"There was debris or a sign Vahosky wanted to remove and he entered the river in a kayak," Braddock Mayor John Fetterman said. "[His death is] made even sadder by the fact he was trying to clean up the river."

Sources said Vahosky was wearing a life jacket when he was pulled from the water.

Allegheny County Police and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are investigating.

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