Windsurfer dies in Gorge accident

THE DALLES, Ore. - A windsurfer died in the Gorge last week after apparently crashing during a back flip, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

The Wasco County Sheriff's Office identified the man as 35-year-old Damien L. Winters of The Dalles.

According to the sheriff's office, witnesses said Winters had been performing "complex acrobatics" when he crashed in the Columbia River on Friday. Witnesses then lost sight of him but later saw his windsurfing gear floating in the river nearby, the sheriff's office said.

A short time later, a passing windsurfer saw Winters unconscious and floating in the river.

The windsurfer pulled him to the shore on the Oregon side near The Dalles, and he and another surfer started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the sheriff's office said.

When medical crews and police arrived on the scene, Winters was already determined to be dead, the sheriff's office said.

Officials plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the man's cause of death.

Anyone with information on the case was asked to call the sheriff's office at (541) 506-2580.