Drowning in Yellowstone River July 13, 2006
Police say a Pennsylvania man has drowned in the Yellowstone River after his raft overturned. The Treasure County sheriff says the incident happened late Tuesday morning, about a mile east of where the river meets the Bighorn River, north of Custer. Sheriff Wayne Robison says the 62 year-old man from Donegal, Pennsylvania was in a party of eight rafters, and was sent into the swift-moving waters after his raft became caught up on a downed tree and rolled. The sheriff says another rafter caught hold of the victim within moments, but the man was already having trouble breathing and later lost consciousness. The man's wife was on the raft at the time. The couple was visiting family near Hysham. The victim's name has not been released.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Man drowns north of Custer
By Gazette News Services
Thursday, July 13, 2006.
A Pennsylvania man died Tuesday morning, apparently of drowning, after his raft overturned in the Yellowstone River in Treasure County, authorities said. The accident happened about 11 a.m. approximately a mile east of the river's confluence with the Bighorn River, north of Custer, said Treasure County Sheriff/Coroner Wayne Robison. The 62-year-old from Donegal, Pa., and his party of eight rafters were plunged into the swift-moving waters after their raft became caught up on a downed tree and rolled, Robison said. Another rafter caught hold of the victim within moments of the accident, but he was already having trouble breathing and later lost consciousness, Robison said.
"He was a very strong swimmer ... (but) he had a history of breathing problems," Robison said. The man's wife was on the raft at the time. The couple were visiting family near Hysham. No autopsy was planned, and drowning was the likely cause of death, Robison said. He declined to release the victim's name, saying that not all of his family had been notified. The search-and-rescue effort involved emergency responders from Yellowstone County, Custer, Worden and other local governments, Robison said.
Copyright The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
