Paddleboarder in critical condition after slamming into Calgary river bridge abutment

CALGARY — Officials in Calgary say a man is in critical condition after he was paddleboarding down a river with his son and hit a bridge.

It happened on Thursday around 1 p.m. on the Bow River in the city’s northwest.

Rescue crews found the man, who was wearing a life jacket, lying face down in the water while attached to the paddleboard by an ankle strap.

They worked to revive him before he was taken to hospital in critical condition.

The man’s 11-year-old son, who was on the paddleboard with him, floated down the river unharmed and was brought to shore by a bystander.

This isn’t the first paddleboard rescue this year in Calgary; crews were called last month to reports of three people stranded on the Bow River during a high water warning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

The Canadian Press