Accident Database: Accident #893
| River: | Yellowstone |
| Section: | 1. Gardiner to Miner (Yankee Jim Canyon) |
| Gauge: | 12,400 cfs |
| Water Level: | High |
| Difficulty: | III |
| Accident Code(s): | No PFD |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 24 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Open Canoe |
| Number of Occupants: | 2 |
| Number in Group: | 2 |
| Number of Victims: | 2 |
| Other Victim Names: | Andrew Smith, 22 |
| Initial Report: | http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/810483 See also http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2005/06/06/build/state/34-canoeaccident.inc for an account of the retrieval of the bodies, which were found two weeks later, 10 miles downstream. |
| Summary: | Two college students flipped a canoe on the powerful Yellowstone River in Montana. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, no one actually saw Mark Mitzel, 24, and Andrew Smith, 22, capsize in the river’s Class III rapids on May 23rd. Unfortunately, neither man was wearing a PFD. A jogger on a nearby path saw one man get pulled underwater and contacted authorities. A lengthy search was needed to find the bodies. |
| Link: | http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/05/24/news/01drowned.txt |
| Report Status: | Incomplete |