MISSOULA – A 46-year-old Washington state man has died after a weekend canoeing accident on the Clark Fork River in western Montana.
A group of boaters in canoes overturned in turbulent water Sunday afternoon near Alberton Gorge. Everyone in the group was wearing life jackets, but one man was unable to make it to shore.
Frenchtown fire spokesman Mel Holtz says others on the water helped bring the man out of the water and a bystander began CPR. The coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.
Mineral County officials identified the victim as Shane Dearden of Lake Stevens, Washington. The cause of his death is still being investigated.