Man with local ties drowns after rafting accident

By Andrew Fish / Leader Staff

Missoula County's sheriff's office identified 27-year-old Kimo Jackson as the victim of this past Saturday's rafting accident. Jackson and two unidentified individuals were on the Blackfoot river near Bonner when their rafts capsized around 7 p.m. The other two individuals were able to swim to safety as Jackson was swept downriver by the unseasonably high waters. Johnson was a Missoula resident at the time of his death however he was raised in the Ronan area.

Detective Dave Bonner said the devices that the group was on were not rafts but more like inflatable devices suitable for use in a pool and not at all safe for use in the high water conditions currently found in the Blackfoot river. Nor was anyone in the group wearing a personal flotation device.

According to data available on the United States Geological Survey National Water System website, the Blackfoot River was flowing at nearly 4,200 cubic feet per second. This is 50-percent greater than the mean annual streamflow of 2,500 CFS.

"These devices weren't not at all safe to have on the river," said Bonner. "It really wasn't safe for them to be on the water." Bonner described the devices as floating seats with cup-holders. While Bonner did not interview the surviving victims, he said that it is his understanding that alcohol was also involved.

An extensive multi-agency search was initiated after the accident. The groups conducting the search included the sheriff's office, the Missoula County Search and Rescue team, city fire departments and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. Construction crews working on a bridge project near the site also pitched in, using their cranes and excavators to move debris piles. A CareFlight helicopter participated in the initial search. The search was called off late Monday morning after searchers had searched all areas they could safely search.

"This is an unfortunate example of what can happen when people don't pay attention to what the river is doing and the warnings the media has put out," explained Bonner. "And not wearing PFDs and other safety equipment."