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TAYLORSVILLE — The man who died Thursday kayaking on the Jordan River was an employee of PacifiCorp, the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power, according to company officials.
The man was identified as Brent Parkin, according to a message that was sent to company employees from Rocky Mountain Power president and CEO Gary Hoogeveen, which was acquired by KSL.com. Parkin had worked for the company for 34 years, according to the message.
Parkin, who is also known as Warren B. Parkin, was 57, according to a tweet from Unified Police Department.
Parkin hit a spillway on the river at 4600 South and drowned about 6 p.m. Thursday, according to police.
Parkin's kayaking partner got him out of the water and performed CPR. When first responders arrived, they also performed CPR on Parkin and transported him to a hospital, Hansen said, but Parkin had been submerged too long and drowned as a result, Unified police detective Kent Hansen said.
Parkin and his friend were trying to kayak to the North Temple area, according to Hansen.
It’s common for the Jordan River to pull people under, Hansen warned Thursday. He said the water can be misleading because although it’s not typically a fast-moving river, it is deep, full and can be difficult to escape.
Contributing: Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com