Kayaker drowns on Swan River float
missoulian.com
July 29, 2012
Flathead County officials report that an Idaho man drowned Saturday while kayaking on the Swan River. The 73-year-old man was wearing a life jacket, but it apparently did not fit well. Sheriff Chuck Curry said the man got into trouble when the kayak flipped. He was seen floating downriver, holding onto the side of the kayak. His body was found soon thereafter, but resuscitation efforts were not successful.
UPDATE: Idaho Kayaker Dies in Swan River
Officials identify 73-year-old man who died after his kayak overturned
By Associated Press & Beacon Staff, 07-30-12
Officials identified the 72-year-old man from Boise, Idaho, who died after his kayak overturned in the Swan River on July 28 Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said Modestus Joseph Cushman Jr., 72, drowned Saturday evening after tipping over his kayak in a section of fast water.
Cushman was wearing a life jacket that was "poorly fitting," Curry said. It was also Cushman's first time in a kayak, according to officials. His body was found downstream and his friends pulled him out and began CPR. Emergency responders also attempted to revive the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Drowning victim was first time kayaker
MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012 AT 10:05AM (BIGFORK)- Authorities say an Idaho man who drowned while kayaking in the Swan River over the weekend was trying the sport for the first time. The 73 year old Boise man flipped his kayak while he was descending the river near Bigfork and was last seen by his companions floating down the river with his head above water.
His body was found downstream near the Highway 209 bridge, and he couldn't be revived. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry tells KPAX TV the man was wearing a life jacket but it didn't fit well. BIGFORK, Mont. - A 73-year-old Boise, Idaho man is pronounced dead after a kayaking accident on the Swan River on Saturday. The man was kayaking for the first time on the river with friends when he hit fast water and his kayak overturned.
The man was clinging on to his kayak with his head barely above water. His friends pulled him out of the water just north of Montana Highway 209. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry says CPR was attempted, but was unsuccessful. Officials say he was wearing a personal flotation device, but it did not fit him properly. Bigfork Ambulance, Ferndale Fire, and ALERT responded to the incident.
