Billings Gazette: Stephen Charles Harrison, 41, passed away on Friday, July 12, 2013. Steve was doing what he loved to do, fly fishing on the Stillwater River with his childhood best friend, Curt Chapman.
Harrison fell out of a raft approximately five to seven miles south of Columbus. Two men floating with him tried unsuccessfully to retrieve him. He was pulled from the water roughly one mile downstream and CPR was initiated, said Brophy. Harrison was also pronounced deceased at the Stillwater Billings Clinic.
Brophy said Harrison was not wearing a life jacket when he was pulled from the river. Medical examinations were performed on both victims. Responders included the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office; the Columbus Police Department, the Montana Highway Patrol, Columbus Fire Rescue, the Stillwater County Search and Rescue, Absaroka Search Dogs, and the Stillwater County Victim / Witness advocates.
Brophy reminds everyone that all rivers can be dangerous.“Please remember to always wear a personal floatation device and learn how to navigate the waterways safely,” said Brophy.
From the Billings Gazette: "Stillwater County Sheriff Cliff Brophy has identified a Billings man who drowned on the Stillwater River over the weekend as Stephen Harrison, 41. Harrison was rafting on the river, south of Columbus, with two others when he fell out of the raft at about 3 p.m. on Friday. When he was pulled from the river, CPR was performed but he could not be revived. Brophy said in an emailed news release that Harrison died of accidental drowning."
