Accident Database

Report ID# 3882

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Accident Description

 
 
 
 
 
Sheriff: Stillwater death accidental
July 18, 2014 6:46 am  •  
An 81-year-old man from Atlanta, Ga., died Thursday after drowning in the Stillwater River about three miles south of Columbus, according to a press release Thursday from the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office.Sheriff and Coroner Cliff Brophy identified the man as Charles Preston McJunkin. He said Friday that no autopsy is planned and that the death will be listed as an accidental drowning. 

The sheriff’s office responded to the incident after receiving a call at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday stating that an elderly man was in the river. The press release said that the man had been in a raft with at least two other people when he fell out after hitting a wave near “Beartooth Drop,” an area that has reportedly killed others over the years.

The pilot tried to pull the man back onto the raft before reaching the drop, but was unsuccessful. After getting through the rough waters, he tried to paddle back to get the man but couldn’t. Another group reported seeing the man down stream.

he victim appeared lifeless as he floated downriver,” the release states. They also tried to pull the man aboard, but were unsuccessful.

Stillwater County Sheriff’s Deputies, Montana Fish and Game, Columbus Police Officers, Columbus Fire and Ambulance and Stillwater County Search and Rescue responded to the scene.

Arriving about 10 minutes after the call was received, responders retrieved the man’s body “about a mile downriver from where he was last seen.”

He was not reported to be wearing a life jacket. The press release says he was fishing and had been coming to the area for 20 years.

Another woman was also tossed from the raft as it entered the drop, but she was able “to make it to safety.”

It’s unclear at this time if she suffered any injuries.

Brophy said in the news release that it's important for people on the water to wear appropriate safety equipment and that they receive basic water safety training.

Several other people have died on same area of the river where McJunkin drowned over the last few years and county officials have heard numerous accounts from others of near death experiences, with most of the survivors wearing personal flotation devices, Brophy said.

 

Sheriff: Stillwater death accidental

July 18, 2014 6:46 am •

By Nick Balatsos

An 81-year-old man from Atlanta, Ga., died Thursday after drowning in the Stillwater River about three miles south of Columbus, according to a press release Thursday from the Stillwater County SheriffÂ’s Office. Sheriff and Coroner Cliff Brophy identified the man as Charles Preston McJunkin. He said Friday that no autopsy is planned and that the death will be listed as an accidental drowning.

The sheriffÂ’s office responded to the incident after receiving a call at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday stating that an elderly man was in the river. The press release said that the man had been in a raft with at least two other people when he fell out after hitting a wave near Beartooth Drop, an area that has reportedly killed others over the years. The pilot tried to pull the man back onto the raft before reaching the drop, but was unsuccessful. After getting through the rough waters, he tried to paddle back to get the man but couldnt.

Another group reported seeing the man down stream. The victim appeared lifeless as he floated downriver, the release states. They also tried to pull the man aboard, but were unsuccessful. Stillwater County Sheriffs Deputies, Montana Fish and Game, Columbus Police Officers, Columbus Fire and Ambulance and Stillwater County Search and Rescue responded to the scene. Arriving about 10 minutes after the call was received, responders retrieved the mans body about a mile downriver from where he was last seen. He was not reported to be wearing a life jacket. The press release says he was fishing and had been coming to the area for 20 years.

Another woman was also tossed from the raft as it entered the drop, but she was able “to make it to safety. Its unclear at this time if she suffered any injuries. Brophy said in the news release that it's important for people on the water to wear appropriate safety equipment and that they receive basic water safety training. Several other people have died on same area of the river where McJunkin drowned over the last few years and county officials have heard numerous accounts from others of near death experiences, with most of the survivors wearing personal flotation devices, Brophy said.

 

n 81-year-old Atlanta man drowned after falling into a Montana river while fishing, police said Friday.

Charles Preston McJunkin was in a raft with at least two others Thursday afternoon when he fell into the Stillwater River, according to the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office. McJunkin fell out of the raft when it hit a wave about 3 miles south of Columbus, Mont., in an area known at Beartooth Drop — a location with a history of drownings, Sheriff Clifford Brophy said.

The pilot of the raft, whose name was not released, attempted to pull McJunkin back in the raft, but was unable to do so, according to witnesses. As the raft entered Beartooth Drop, a second passenger fell out of the raft, but she was able to swim to safety, Brophy said.

“Once the raft made it through the drop, the pilot was unable to row back to the victim that drowned,” Brophy said in an emailed statement. “Another group in a raft reported seeing the victim in the water, down river from the drop. The victim appeared lifeless as he floated downriver.”

Witnesses in a second raft were unable to reach McJunkin, who was not wearing a life preserver, Brophy said. There were flotation devices on the raft. Emergency responders recovered McJunkin’s body about a mile away from where he was last seen.

McJunkin had been visiting the Stillwater area to fish for 20 years, Brophy said.

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