Probably no PFD
The incident was reported around 12:08 p.m. on Aug. 23, off Selway Road near milepost 7, according to ICSO. The victim was on a raft or boat when he attempted to retrieve an inflatable canoe that had capsized in the water. Once at the canoe, the man could not get a hold of anything and went down into the water.
Clarkston man drowns in Selway River
Lewiston Tribune 8/24/2020
LOWELL — A 62-year-old Clarkston man drowned in the
Selway River on Sunday after trying to retrieve an inflatable raft, according
to the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office.
Steve Polumsky was floating down the river with two other
friends about 12:08 p.m. when he got off his inflatable canoe to retrieve a capsized
inflatable raft, the sheriff’s office said. Polumsky was unable to get hold of
the raft, couldn’t find his footing in the water and disappeared.
By 12:35 p.m., a deputy and staff from nearby Three Rivers
Resort deployed two rafts and started searching for Polumsky. He was located a
short time later in about 8 feet of water. He was taken to shore, where an
ambulance was waiting, and he was taken to the Fenn Ranger Station, then taken
by Life Flight helicopter to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. He
was unable to be resuscitated, the sheriff’s office said.
It is unknown whether Polumsky was wearing a life jacket.
No further information was immediately available.
According to a Facebook post from Asotin County Fire
District No. 1, Polumsky was a firefighter for Asotin County for 27 years and
had been appointed fire commissioner this past January.
