The White Mile Trial

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

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 ‘White Mile’ 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 river’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.

Cecil Kuhne is both an experienced whitewater rafting guide and an attorney. On the adventure side, he is the author of 10 books on river running and edited five popular adventure-travel anthologies. Kuhne currently lives and practices law in Dallas, Texas.