Jennifer Ruth Kane, a 17-year-old girl from Marietta, Georgia, drowned while tubing down rapids in a rain-swollen creek in Jackson County, North Carolina with three family friends. As the group approached a falls where the creek emptied into a river, Kane lost her footing while trying to get to shore and was swept over the falls. One of the men dove in after her and found her trapped under a log, conscious but unable to move her legs. Despite their efforts, the strong rapids prevented them from freeing her and she drowned after about 15 minutes. Searchers were hampered by the high water but continued looking for her body.

1. Copyright 1990 Marietta Daily Journal, Atlanta, GA USA
Cobb girl, 17, drowns
During rapids mishap
By Scott R. Akin
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
The search continues for the body of 17-year-old Jennifer Ruth Kane of Marietta
who drowned Monday while tubing down rain-swollen river rapids in Jackson
County, N.C.
Miss Kane was a rising senior at Pope High School and one of the county's top
female prep soccer players.
Miss Kane, the only daughter of Rick and Dawn Kane of Bunker Hill Drive in
Marietta, was reported drowned Monday night while tubing down Norton Mill Creek
south of Cashiers, N.C. Vacationing with family friends, Miss Kane was floating
down the rapids with Marine Lt. Col. Joe Parker, his son Tom, both of Marietta, and
Capt. John Flowers of Powder Springs.
As the four approached the falls where the creek empties into the Chattooga River,
Parker signaled for the group to go ashore. Parker, his son and Flowers were
successful, but Miss Kane lost her footing while trying to gain shore and was swept
downstream over the falls. Parker said he immediately dove over the falls himself to
rescue her, according to Danny Hall of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.
Parker found Miss Kane trapped and mostly submerged under a log below the falls
after she had evidently crashed into it. She was conscious and her head partially out
of the water. Miss Kane was able to tell Parker that she was unable to move her legs,
which were twisted and pinned under the log, Hall said.
Parker and Flowers, who joined him a few minutes later after coming down the bank,
were unable to move the log, Hall said. Parker stayed with Miss Kane holding her
hand and comforting her. After about 15 minutes Miss Kane ceased to struggle,
apparently drowned from the spray off the fall, Hall said.
The three then hiked to Parker's cabin to report the incident to the Jackson County
Sheriff's Department about 6 p.m. Monday. Emergency personnel were on the scene
3 miles from roads through dense underbrush and searching by 8 p.m.
"It was very high water and very, very rapid. Never in my days have I encountered
such strong rapids," Hall said.
Witnesses reported that the creek rose 1.5 feet during a three-hour period Monday
evening because of heavy rains.

2. 'The high water here has hampered the search," said Chief Deputy Bob Cook of the
Jackson County Sheriff's Department. Searchers have found remnants of the victim's
clothes.
"We'll find her, I just don't know how long it'll take," said Charles E. Zachary of the
Highlands Fire Department Rescue unit who searched Monday night.
Responding to the call were personnel from the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad,
Jackson County Sheriff's Department and the nearby city of Highlands Fire Rescue
Unit.