Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Paraplegic Rower Found Dead During California-Hawaii Voyage
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 26, 2020

Share

HONOLULU — The body of a paraplegic woman rowing from California to Hawaii was headed to Tahiti after she was found lifeless in the water, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
A friend of Angela Madsen, 60, contacted the Coast Guard Sunday after not hearing from her for more than 24 hours, Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir said.
Madsen, who had been at sea for 59 days, was about 1,145 miles (1,842 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii, when she was last heard from, Muir said. Madsen had been planning to go for a swim.
“She was out in the middle of the ocean, with not really anything around,” Muir said.

Ship in the Area Retrieved Body

The Coast Guard reached out to commercial vessels in the area of Madsen’s last known location and asked an Air National Guard flight crew headed from California to Hawaii to fly over the area.
The air crew “could see that she was in the water, tethered to the vessel, but there was no reaction to their presence,” Muir said. “She was unresponsive.”
The Polynesia, a ship in the area, retrieved her body. “Now they’re continuing on their scheduled course and they’re going to take the body to Tahiti, where the family will do whatever they need to do to get her home to California,” Muir said.
Madsen’s family couldn’t immediately be reached Thursday.

Aimed to be First Paraplegic to Row Pacific Ocean

According to a website, rowoflife.org, Madesen was a three-time Paralympian and Marine Corps veteran who aimed to be the first paraplegic and oldest woman to row the Pacific Ocean.
“We are processing this devastating loss,” said a message on the website by Debra Madsen, her wife, and Soraya Simi, who was making a documentary about her. “To row an ocean solo was her biggest goal. She knew the risks better than any of us and was willing to take those risks because being at sea made her happier than anything else. She told us time and again that if she died trying, that is how she wanted to go.”
In 2014, while getting ready to row from California to Hawaii, Angela Madsen said rowing is a venue where partially paralyzed people can excel.
“You get out of your chair and just get on a boat and nobody knows the difference between you and anybody else out here,” she said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

DON'T MISS

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

DON'T MISS

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

UP NEXT

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

UP NEXT

Bass’ Record 61-Yard Field Goal Lifts Bills Over Dolphins in Thriller

UP NEXT

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

UP NEXT

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

UP NEXT

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

UP NEXT

Herbert Shines, Chargers Defense Dominates in Win Over Browns

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

UP NEXT

North Korea’s Long-Range Missile Test Signals Its Improved, Potential Capability to Attack US

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

8 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

8 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

8 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

9 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

9 hours ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

9 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

9 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

10 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

10 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

11 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

A driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a California Highway Patrol car early Sunday, officials said. Officers were inv...

5 hours ago

A driver suspected of DUI crashed into a parked California Highway Patrol car at a fatal crash scene in Fresno County, sustaining minor injuries and later being cited. (Fresno County SO)
5 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

fresno
6 hours ago

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

6 hours ago

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP/Ashley Landis)
8 hours ago

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

8 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

9 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

9 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

Search

Send this to a friend