Paddle boarder dies on Flathead Lake

By MEGAN STRICKLAND

for the Leader

A paddle boarder died the evening of July 26 in Flathead Lake off the Rocky Point area near Polson.

Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said that witnesses called for help at around 5:30 p.m. after the man went under and did not resurface.

The Sheriff’s Office, Flathead Tribal Police, Lake County Search and Rescue, and ambulance services were dispatched, but boaters in the area were able to pull the man from the water before emergency personnel arrived. Attempts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful.

Ty Kanara, 51, of St. Regis was identified as the deceased. His body was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab.

Kanara was retrieved from about 12 feet of water and he was not wearing a life vest, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.