The White Mile Trial - by Cecil Kuhne (Hardcover)

About the Book

Eleven advertising executives from some of the largest corporations in the United States boarded a raft for a day of whitewater rafting in the Canadian Rockies. Less than three hours later, five of them would be dead. Was the accident chance or negligence?

Book Synopsis

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. 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.
Following the tragedy was a dramatic two-week trial, where the stories of survivors and the opinions of the experts 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.

Review Quotes

"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." --Richard Bangs, author of The Art of Living Dangerously and 50 Best Adventures on Earth

"After five men died on a whitewater rafting trip, litigation ensued--not against the outfitter but against the advertising agency that sponsored the trip as a business development adventure. Cecil Kuhne'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 husband'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

About the Author

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.