Accident Database

Report ID#69281

2004-06-24
accident date
John Staley
victim
58
victim age
Gallatin
river
3. Greek Creek to Spanish Creek
section
House Rock Rapid
location
n/a
gage
High
water level
IV
river difficulty
Flush Drowning
cause code(s)
Does not Apply
injury type(s)
Cold Water, High Water
factors
Commercial
trip type
Raft
boat type
status?
status

Description

Two brothers died when their guided raft flipped in House Rock Rapid, a big class IV drop on Montana’s Gallatin River. John Staley, 58, and Vernon Staley, 56, were in a boat that flipped on a mid-stream boulder near the top of this pounding, mile-long rapid. Water levels were near their seasonal peak. A safety kayaker helped two women reach shore, then took off after the men. He pulled one of them into shallow water, then chased the other. When the second man proved to be unresponsive, the safety kayaker bailed out of his boat, grabbed the man, pulled him to shore, and began CPR. But it was too late. And while this was going on the first man, probably overcome by exhaustion and cold water, slipped back into the river and also died. http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/622869