A 20-year-old man from Greenwich, Connecticut, died Tuesday after becoming caught in the rapids at Bolton Potholes, a notoriously dangerous swimming hole.
Vermont State Police said in a press release Tuesday night that it was notified of the incident at 4:29 p.m. An initial investigation found that Samuel Paprin had become unresponsive in the rapids. He was declared dead later Tuesday at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.
State police continue to investigate the incident.
Along with Huntington Gorge in Richmond, the Bolton Potholes is among the most dangerous swimming holes in the region. The Vermont River Conservancy, which owns the latter, said last year that at least six people had been known to have died at the Bolton Potholes. A May 2022 death was the first at that location since 2011.
Members of the Richmond Volunteer Fire Department told VTDigger at the time that heavy rains, high temperatures and aerated water are often key contributors to accidental drownings. They said that more education and signage focused on the dangers of swimming holes could help reduce the number of deaths.
