Summer in the Flathead Valley means flocks of people drawn to the cool water for everything from a leisurely float to tackling whitewater rapids. But these activities carry significant risk, and this season’s drowning deaths on local rivers has already surpassed last summer’s total.
This summer, four people have drowned in the Flathead Valley. That doubles last summer’s total of two drowning deaths, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
Statewide in 2011 there were 11 boating deaths, and most occurred on rivers, according to previous reports from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said most, if not all, of this year’s casualties took place on fast-moving water. The water is still dangerous, even if it has been lower than last year’s snowmelt.
“I think it’s important to note it’s not always a function of how high the water is,” Curry said. “Some rivers actually have a more significant risk or get to be a higher class of rapids when the water goes down versus when the water is high.”
Certain characteristics that would make a river a higher class of rapids might be covered up during high-water times, Curry said, only to be revealed later in the season when the water levels drop.
James Fredrick Wilson, a 50-year-old man from Lethbridge, Alberta, drowned in late July when the inflatable kayak he was riding in the Middle Fork capsized in the Spruce Park Rapids. According to reports, Wilson was held under by the force of the water.
One of the main causes of death this year has been people getting caught in strainers in the river. A strainer is often thought of as a log or a branch under the surface, but it can be anything that traps a person underwater and prevents them from reaching the surface.
In one instance this June, Brenda Reiner and her husband were rafting the Flathead River when they approached a fork in the river where it splits around an island. The raft flipped over, and Reiner was snagged on a protruding tree and held underwater.
The 57-year-old Kalispell woman drowned, though her husband was able to make it to the shore. Reiner drowned despite wearing a personal flotation device, Curry said, which is also another commonality among the river deaths this summer.
Raymond Abbott, an 80-year-old Kalispell man, also drowned while wearing a life preserver. He was found face down in the North Fork river, after his one-man pontoon boat capsized earlier this month.
He had an inflatable life jacket on, but it was not inflated when his body was found, according to Undersheriff Dave Leib.
“We have not had anyone drown this year that has not been wearing some sort of personal flotation device,” Curry said. “While they’re extremely important, they aren’t the only thing you need to do to be safe.”
Most of the victims did not have a lot of experience on the water, Curry said, adding that it is important for people to realize and remember that there are inherent risks when it comes to this sort of activity.
Boise man Modestus Joseph Cushman Jr., 72, drowned in the Swan River on July 28 after his kayak tipped in fast water. He was wearing what Curry described as a “poorly fitting” life jacket. It was also Cushman’s first time in a kayak, officials said.
“You don’t necessarily have to be going down a set of Class V rapids for water to be dangerous,” Curry said.
More safety tips from an article in FWP’s Montana Outdoors magazine include realizing that the rivers are not amusement park rides and are “dangerous, powerful and unpredictable.” Each boat should also have a throw rope and a cell phone kept in a plastic bag, the article states, as well as life jackets for occupants.
Beginners should take easy stretches of water to hone their skills, the article says, and one way to gain a lot of knowledge about maneuvering the rivers is by hiring an experienced guide for a day.