MARCH 26, 2015
HAMILTON, MONTANA
A 74-year-old Darby-area fisherman drowned in the Bitterroot
River early Wednesday afternoon.
The man was fishing with two other adult men between Tucker
and Victor crossings when the boat they were in hit a submerged log, said
Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton.
All three men were thrown into the river.
Two were able to get back into the boat, but the 74-year-old
man was washed downstream, Holton said.
Another boat spotted him in the river, but those fishermen
weren’t able to get to him. They called 9-1-1 at about 12:35 p.m.
The man was found just north of Victor Crossing completely
submerged, Holton said. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Members of Ravalli County Search and Rescue, the sheriff’s
office, and Victor and Stevensville volunteer fire departments responded to the
call along with an ambulance from Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital.
“It’s getting to that time of year when the river is rising
and weather is nice enough that people are getting out and floating,” Holton
said. “They need to watch for submerged obstacles in the river.”
Source: http://missoulian.com