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Teton County Search and Rescue responds to two incidents over the weekend, one ends in fatality

Teton County Search & Rescue helps some floaters out of a jam on the Snake River on Saturday, March 11. Photo courtesy of TCSAR.
The following is a press release from Teton County Search & Rescue.
Jackson, Wyoming — Teton County Search & Rescue responded to a pair of accidents this weekend, one of which tragically ended in a fatality.
The first call came on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m., from a husband and wife floating in a raft on the Snake River. That morning, the couple from Twin Falls had rented a raft and launched at the Wilson Bridge with the goal of floating to the South Park Landing 13 miles downriver.
A few miles into their voyage, they realized they would not be able to navigate the river, which typically splits into different channels about a mile downriver of the put-in. Deep snow also made it hard for them to walk on the banks. On March 11, the Snake was flowing about 800 cfs, which is close to the 27-year median flow for this time of year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Recognizing they’d gone as far as they could safely go, the couple parked their raft along the side of the river next to the levee and called for help. TCSAR volunteers responded by driving snowmobiles down the levee to the waiting couple. The volunteers lifted the raft out of the water and towed it behind a snowmobile back to a private road where the couple could pick it up later. The couple were given a lift on snowmobiles back to the Wilson Bridge.
This incident is a good example of why it’s important to call Search & Rescue before a situation escalates into a more challenging or dangerous scenario — not just for yourself but first responders as well. Search & Rescue was happy to help this couple and bring this incident to a safe conclusion.
On Sunday, March 12 at 2:45 p.m., Teton County Search & Rescue received a call about a snowmobiler who had been trapped under his machine in deep snow.
A 42-year-old man from Casper was riding with a partner when the two lost sight of each other on Togwotee Pass. The partner eventually found the man from Casper pinned under his sled in the snow. The partner was able to send out an SOS alert on a satellite device, which mobilized first responders.

TCSAR responds to a snowmobile accident that had a tragic outcome on Togwotee Pass on March 12. Photo by TCSAR
Teton County Search & Rescue responded via snowmobiles and the helicopter. Multiple partner agencies also responded to the effort, including Teton County Sheriff deputies and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Once on scene, it was determined that the patient was deceased and that the cause of the accident was not avalanche-related.
Teton County Search & Rescue extends its sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends, and wishes to thank the cooperating agencies for their response.
The post Teton County Search and Rescue responds to two incidents over the weekend, one ends in fatality appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com

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