Accident Database

Report ID# 3507

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Accident Description

 Important information not mentioned in the Missoulian article:

Lochsa Falls is at mile marker 114.5.

Life Flight picked up the victim nearly two miles downstream of the rapid where the flip occured. There are four rapids between mile markers 112.5 and 114.5, all of which have large pool sections between them.

The water temperatures of the river were in the mid 40s, and the air temps were in the 80s. This was a single boat, mid week trip with no safety/support craft. The victim was wearing shorts and a teeshirt and was not dressed for a prolonged swim in those water conditions. Hypothermia is likely the largest contributor to this fatality.

 

Authorities identify Missoula man who died rafting on Lochsa River

 By VICTORIA EDWARDS for the Missoulian missoulian.com

Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011 11:30 pm 

A 29-year-old Missoula man died Wednesday after the raft he was in flipped over on the Lochsa River in north-central Idaho. Keegan Seth Ginther is the second person to die on the Lochsa River in the past month. According to the Idaho County Sheriff's Office, Ginther was swept downstream after his raft turned over at Lochsa Falls Rapid, located around mile post 112 on U.S. Highway 12. Ginther and the four others with him, also from Missoula, were thrown from the raft. Authorities said all were wearing life jackets.

Another rafter was able to get to shore where he flagged down a passing car, which drove him down river where he was able to pull Ginther from the water. The Idaho County Sheriff's department received a call at about 2:30 p.m. notifying them of the overturned raft and that CPR was being performed on one person. Medical personnel arrived at the scene shortly thereafter, and CPR continued unsuccessfully for an hour before Ginther was pronounced dead. He was then taken to Trenary's funeral home in Kooksia, Idaho.

The accident occurred around mile post 132 on Highway 12. The fatalities are puzzling for Justin Walsh of Bearpaw River Expeditions, who said up until a month ago, there hadn't been a death on the Lochsa River in 15 years. "Frankly, I'm shocked we've had two fatalities on the Lochsa this year when there's been zero in years past," Walsh said. Bearpaw River Expeditions is a white-water rafting guide company that solely operates on the Lochsa River, and Walsh said conditions aren't more dangerous this year than in previous years.

Unlike other rivers in western Montana and northern Idaho, the Lochsa River hasn't experienced any unprecedented flood waters in the past month, Walsh said, so although the river is six feet at the Lowell Bridge - higher than it typically would this time of year - "six feet isn't that unusually high of a level," he said. The Lochsa River was running at about 15,000 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, also high for this time of year, but nothing particularly unusual for those familiar with the Lochsa, Walsh said. "What we've had is a slow and gradual run off where the water has stayed consistently at steady flows," he said. "Those flows are fine for rafting guides and river savvy people."

Rafts flipping over also aren't an unusual event for rafters on the river. "For a lot of our customers that's part of the thrill - taking the swim and having the raft flip over," he said. "That's the Lochsa ... rafts do flip over" Although he said white-water rafting is less dangerous than driving a car - citing a study by American Whitewater in 2006 that also found rafting is less dangerous than climbing and scuba diving - rafters should still be aware of the risks. "The Lochsa is a big white-water river and the types that run the river are the adrenaline junkies," he said. "There are risks, but we accept those risks."

Copyright 201 - missoulian.com.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_1b2815da-a324-11e0-acd8-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1Rc0PNKC0

This raft flipped in Lochsa Falls. The man was pulled out by a fellow rafter and a guy named Curtis who works for the Indian tribe. I was on shore when I saw him come around a corner and get pulled in face down. My friends above on the pullover thought they were chasing gear.

My two guide buddies administered CPR for an hour. It was a 12 foot boat, five passengers--they didn't make the falls--everyone but the victim made it too shore. Even though we had four boats, all 17 feet or longer, that water was very cold, very high, and after that we decided to pack up and go home to CO--we'd just run the main salmon for 8 days. It's a sobering thing to see, makes me want to get in better swimming shape in case I get seperated from the raft in fast current. It also makes me glad I raft with very experienced river savvy friends.

Another rafter dies on Lochsa River Posted by Rich June 30, 2011

RIVER RUNNING — The Idaho County sheriff's office says a Missoula man died Wednesday in a rafting accident on the Lochsa River in north-central Idaho, according to the Lewiston Tribune. Keegan Seth Ginther, 29, died after three or four people had been thrown from a raft around 2:30 p.m. CPR was performed on the river. The accident reportedly happened in Lochsa Falls Rapid near milepost 112.5 off U.S. Highway 12.

The investigation revealed that Ginther was rafting with four friends from Missoula when the raft flipped in the Lochsa Falls Rapids and spilled all the occupants into the water. Ginther was unable to get to shore and was swept downriver. One of the rafters, Bradley Applegate, 30, was able to get to shore and flagged down a passing vehicle to transport him down river where he pulled Ginther from the water. An EMT started CPR, the report said.

All parties in the raft were wearing life jackets. This is the second drowning in the Lochsa this season and the third drowning in Idaho County in the past seven weeks. The river was running at about 15,000 cubic feet per second on Wednesday - high for this time of year, but not an unusual flow for the early rafting season.

The Lochsa is well-known for its continuous string of class III and IV rapids. The Lochsa fatalities are puzzling for Justin Walsh of Bearpaw River Expeditions, who said up until a month ago, there hadn't been a death on the Lochsa River in 15 years. “Frankly, I'm shocked we've had two fatalities on the Lochsa this year when there's been zero in years past,” Walsh said. Bearpaw River Expeditions is a white-water rafting guide company that solely operates on the Lochsa River, and Walsh said conditions aren't more dangerous this year than in previous years. Unlike other rivers in western Montana and northern Idaho, the Lochsa River hasn't experienced any unprecedented flood waters in the past month, Walsh said, so although the river is six feet at the Lowell Bridge - higher than it typically would this time of year - “six feet isn't that unusually high of a level,” he said.

The Lochsa River was running at about 15,000 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, also high for this time of year, but nothing particularly unusual for those familiar with the Lochsa, Walsh said. “What we've had is a slow and gradual run off where the water has stayed consistently at steady flows,” he said. “Those flows are fine for rafting guides and river savvy people.” Rafts flipping over also aren't an unusual event for rafters on the river. “For a lot of our customers that's part of the thrill - taking the swim and having the raft flip over,” he said. “That's the Lochsa … rafts do flip over.” Although he said white-water rafting is less dangerous than driving a car - citing a study by American Whitewater in 2006 that also found rafting is less dangerous than climbing and scuba diving - rafters should still be aware of the risks. “The Lochsa is a big white-water river and the types that run the river are the adrenaline junkies,” he said. “There are risks, but we accept those risks.” In brief:

Montana man dies on Lochsa River

The Spokesman-Review

LEWISTON – The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a 29-year-old Missoula man who died in a rafting accident on the Lochsa River in north-central Idaho. The Sheriff’s Office says Keegan Seth Ginther died Wednesday afternoon. Officials say Ginther was rafting with four friends from Missoula when the raft flipped in the Lochsa Falls Rapid and threw all four into the water. Ginther was swept downriver. One of the rafters, 30-year-old Bradley Applegate, was able to get to shore and flag down a passing motorist who took him downriver where he pulled Ginther out of the water. Emergency responders were unable to revive him.

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