The White Mile Trial

Canada’s Chilko River has long been famous for the 15-mile stretch of whitewater in Lava Canyon that offers some of the most challenging whitewater runs in North America, including a series of rapids known as “White Mile.” But no one had ever drowned there.

Eleven advertising executives from some of the largest corporations in the United States boarded a raft for a day of river running in British Columbia. Their guide, Ron Thompson, rowed the boat into the current, just as he had done without incident for the past 13 years (and, to be precise, 207 trips).

Less than three hours after they pushed off from shore, five of them would be dead. No one knows exactly what happened that day, but the bow of the raft caught an errant current, turned abruptly, and then unexpectedly careened into a rock mid-stream. All but one of the men were dumped into the tortured currents. Six of the swimmers made it to shore and survived. The other five were swept to their death in the frigid waters.

The testimony that was given during the dramatic two-week trial was high drama. The stories of those who survived the ordeal and the opinions of the experts who evaluated what went wrong were both riveting and inconsistent. The jury awarded the plaintiff a million dollars, a fraction of what she had requested, but to many it was an extravagant amount for a lawsuit involving an experienced guide with a perfect safety record who had obtained releases of liability before the trip.

The issues presented in the courthouse were provocative ones. Ultimately, the issues at stake were those of risk, fate, and personal responsibility. The answers to many of the questions raised in the trial are still unresolved, and the reader can then decide what happened that day and how the jury should have ruled in this most alluring of outdoor pursuits.  

After five men died on a whitewater rafting trip, litigation ensuedmdash;not against the outfitter but against the advertising agency that sponsored the trip as a business development adventure. Cecil Kuhnersquo;s page-turner takes the reader on a wild ride down the Chilko River in British Columbia where the tragedy occurred and into the Chicago courtroom where a widow sought recompense for her husbandrsquo;s death. The author, who is both an attorney and a whitewater rafting guide, delivers an authoritative account of a fascinating case.--Doug Kari, attorney, journalist, and author of The Berman Murders
Cecil Kuhne does a meticulous job explaining to the reader the tragedy of the White Mile rafting accident. If you are a fan of either whitewater rafting or high-stakes courtroom drama, this book is for you.--Mark Sewell, Marine veteran, retired FBI agent, and author of Investigating America's Most Notorious Strip Club
In The White Mile Trail: A River Rafting Tragedy and the Courtroom Justice that Followed, Cecil Kuhne disgorges a harrowing tale of adventure gone tragically awry. The Chilko River, with its 15-mile stretch of non-trivial whitewater and the never-inert #39;White Mile#39; rapids, had always beckoned thrill-seekers with its promise of manageable excitement and team-building. But no one anticipated the grim turn of fate awaiting the group of eleven high-powered advertising executives. It was morning in far North America when a capsize dispatched five men to their deaths, while the survivors faced a brutal struggle against the unforgiving forces of nature.
Kuhne brings to this tale an orphic understanding of wild rivers, as he has carved more than a few. But he also delves deep into the aftermath of the tragedy, exploring the ensuing legal battle and the quest for justice. This gripping account not only captures the raw intensity of the riverrsquo;s fury but also the profound and often unsettling pursuit of accountability in the wake of such catastrophic events. It is a page-turning journey through the turbulence of nature and the courtroom in this riveting exploration of fate, responsibility, and the relentless drive for the turbid truth.--Richard Bangs, author of The Art of Living Dangerously and 50 Best Adventures on Earth
Twelve people boarded a raft for a corporate whitewater bonding adventure. Five of them did not survive. Kuhne presents a riveting courtroom drama of the civil lawsuit that pitted one individual against a worldwide corporation and explores the boundaries between personal responsibility and corporate culpability. The questions raised in this book will haunt your thoughts long after the last page.--Diane Fanning, author of Death on the River and fourteen other true crime books

Cecil Kuhne is particularly qualified to tackle this riveting subjects, as he is both an experienced whitewater rafting guide and an attorney. On the adventure side, he is the author of 10 books on river running, including River Master: John Wesley Powell’s Legendary Exploration of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon (W.W. Norton). He has also edited five popular adventure-travel anthologies: Near Death on the High Seas, Near Death in the Mountains, Near Death in the Arctic, and Near Death in the Desert (Vintage), and On the Edge: Adventurous Escapades From Around the World (Lonely Planet). On the legal side, Kuhne practices law with one of the largest law firms in the world and is the author of 23 books on litigation published by the American Bar Association, including Adventure and the Law.

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