Montana

Authorities still investigating Flathead drowning

Posted: Sep 26, 2012 7:55 AM by MTN News

WEST GLACIER - It should have been the perfect afternoon, a visit with a relative near Glacier National Park and a chance to do some fishing, but instead, a Colorado man was found dead in the Flathead River.

Authorities are still looking into the death of a 67-year-old Colorado man, who died while fishing on the North Fork of the Flathead River on Tuesday afternoon.

The man was fishing with his relative when the two were separated from each other's sight by a bend in the river. The relative went downstream, but was unable to find him.

He called authorities just before 2 p.m., and when rescuers arrived on scene, they found the man submerged, about a-hundred yards south of Camas Creek. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The man was wearing waders, but not a life vest-although the Flathead County Sheriff's department is not sure how much of a factor that played in his death.

"There are always unfortunate accidents that happen. Some are preventable, some are not. At this point, we're not certain if this one was or not. It's possible that a medical condition could have caused this. We'll be looking into all those possibilities," Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry explained.

The victim's name is not being released at this time.