Head Injury
One of the most dangerous injuries that can occur whilewhite water rafting is a head injury. Even the most experienced whitewater rafters can be thrown from a boat and hit their head on a rock, which can cause a serious head injury, a concussion or loss of consciousness. To minimize the risk of this type of injury it's important to make sure that you always wear an appropriate helmet while whitewater rafting.
Broken Bones
If you should fall or get thrown out of your boat you run the risk of being thrown against the rocks and possibly breaking a bone or two. When I went rafting, one of the guide's instructions to the group I was in was to keep our feet up and our arms close to our bodies in order to prevent broken bones if we were thrown overboard or the boat turned over. This tip came in handy when our boat capsized three times on that trip and several of us went quite a distance down the river before we were able to stop ourselves.
Hypothermia
When you're whitewater rafting it's a sure bet that you will frequently get wet—and probably drenched as well. While this may not be a problem on a half-day trip in the summer months, it can result in hypothermia if you're rafting early in the season on a river that's being fed by a melting snow pack. In order to avoid possible hypothermia it's always a good idea to wear a waterproof and insulated neoprene wetsuit and splash jacket while rafting in the early spring or on an extremely cold river.
Drowning
The worst thing that can happen to any whitewater rafter is accidental drowning, which can occur if you are thrown from the boat and are swept away by a strong current or hit your head on a rock and are knocked unconscious. To minimize your risk of drowning while whitewater rafting, it's important to have strong swimming skills and wear a life vest at all times.