# Fatality on Snake (Wyoming)



## azpowell (Aug 14, 2014)

i think it is important to understand the symptoms of secondary drowning...

Dry Drowning and Secondary Drowning: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Excellent post! This is something few of us would consider after pulling someone from the rive and they seem fine.


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

So sorry to hear about this. As someone pointed out, it seems like there have been a lot more fatalities this year. 

The article suggests to get medical help but what if your in the middle of nowhere an there is no medical help for days. Are there any steps that can be taken if you suggest these conditions of someone you just pulled out of the river?


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## azpowell (Aug 14, 2014)

Position them onto their left hand side, monitor and get them out as soon as possible, if they lose consciousness you need to identify if they need cpr..


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## Buddha09 (May 15, 2014)

*Update*

Here is the link: 



https://www.starvalleyindependent.com/2016/07/25/utah-man-dies-after-being-pulled-from-snake-river/




Bourke Dewain Tarbet, a 45-year old man from Syracuse, Utah was pronounced dead at the scene after a river rescue by several other boaters on the Snake River on Saturday, July 23.
Captain Brian Andrews of the LCSO confirmed multiple agencies responded to the “Haircut” portion of the river at approximately 2:30 p.m. on the call of an unresponsive person.
After falling into the river, Tarbet was pulled into a boat where he fell unconscious. At least two doctors were on the scene and attempted to resuscitate the man for approximately 60 minutes but to no avail. Lincoln County Coroner, Mike Richins, stated that Tarbet died of a heart attack. “He had several health factors that predisposed him to a heart attack and because of the exertions of falling out of the boat and being retrieved he died as a result,” Richins said.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) along with Alpine EMS, the Star Valley Search & Rescue, the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center and the Bridger-Teton National Forest all responded to the call.


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## azpowell (Aug 14, 2014)

Well the info I posted is still pertinent to our sport may not have anything to do with this case but last year there was a drowning below lava that happened about the same way but was resuscitated... be safe out there and take a cpr class


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## johnovice (Jul 17, 2009)

Forest Service press release:

*Boaters on the Snake River Should Know Their Own Skills and Abilities*​ 

*JACKSON, Wyo.,* July 26, 2016 – A recent river related fatality on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Snake River Canyon has Forest officials urging river enthusiasts to know their own skills abilities and physical condition before venturing onto the Snake River. 

There was a fatality on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Snake River Canyon after a boater had been ejected from his raft and was pulled back to safety by another party. The incident occurred on Saturday, July 23, 2016 shortly after 2:00pm. The location where the victim ended up in the water was above a rapid known as Double Draw and it is about 1.75 miles downstream of West table boat ramp in the Snake River Canyon. Another party had just finished pulling their own swimmers from the rapid when they came into contact with the victim, Bourke Tarbet, age 45 of Syracuse, Utah, pulling him aboard well above Haircut Rock. 

Shortly after being pulled into the boat, the victim lost consciousness and vital signs. A passing professionally guided trip directed the party to a location called the Million Dollar Eddy which is located immediately after Haircut Rock rapid just over 2-miles from West Table Boat Ramp. The rescuing party and professional guides began CPR, while utilizing the company’s radio to summon help to the scene. Guides from another company expedited downstream to retrieve the nearest automatic external defibrillator (AED) that the Forest has strategically located along the stretch, and ran it back upstream to the shore where the Forest River Rangers, the rescuing party and others had initiated CPR. They were quickly joined by two passing doctors, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Alpine Fire Department and Star Valley Search and Rescue who made every effort possible to save the victim.

The river flow is abnormally low for this time of the season showing hazards that are not normally present in most seasons. In fact, with river flows running at around 4,280 CFS (cubic feet per second) the number of accidents the river crew has responded to with the lower water level is higher than other seasons at this time.

The Snake River Canyon and the whitewater stretch is an exhilarating experience. While it is considered a Class III river, it is not without inherent risks. “We have had quite a few parties who’ve rented boats get into trouble. Quite a few have been organized groups or Boy Scout groups from Utah and Idaho," said Wild & Scenic River Manager David Cernicek. "There have been medical evacuations, people who’ve lost their boats and paddles, and people who just decided that their lives were important and abandoned their boats and gear to hike out, " said Cernicek when he was talking about the Incidents he has seen this summer. "Lots of times folks feel like they can save a few bucks by not going with a professional outfitter, and sometimes those decisions cost the most," he said. "On Saturday we also had a commercial river guide pull a 2 year-old child out of Lunch Counter Rapid that another party had chosen to bring down the river with them," said Cernicek. 

Many incidents occur on the whitewater stretch of the Snake River that never make it to the River Rangers for a coordinated emergency response. That is because the expert outfitters and guides oftentimes are there to instruct novice boaters what to do, where to eddy out or, as in this incident, they quickly can identify where the life-saving equipment is located along the river. Cernicek continued, “We want people to enjoy the rafting opportunities on the Bridger-Teton, but there is a necessary component of personal responsibility that must be addressed. It is imperative that recreationists assess their skill level, physical health and agility and experience and determine which section of the river is most appropriate for their outing, or if they should be utilizing a professional outfitter."

For more information, visit the Forest Website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf. For additional information, contact the Bridger-Teton National Forest at (307) 739-5500.


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