River victim in critical condition

Teenager being treated in intensive care unit at hospital.

By NICHOLAS LEDDEN

The Daily Inter Lake

A teenage boy who nearly drowned in a tubing accident on the Stillwater River remained in critical condition Friday morning.

He had spent 11 to 15 minutes underwater before rescuers could free him.

The boy, whose name has not been released, has been in critical condition at Kalispell Regional Medical Center's intensive care unit since he arrived there at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

His age has not been released, but several officials say he is 15.

Three teenage boys were tubing down the Stillwater River near Riverside Drive in Evergreen when one of them was sucked into an underwater snag after his inner tube flipped.

A swift current swept him close to the bank where his life jacket got tangled in the branches of a dead log, holding him underwater.

After trying unsuccessfully to free their friend, the other two boys ran to get help. A construction worker working on a nearby home called 911, and the first rescue units arrived just a few minutes later.

He was unresponsive when Flathead County Search and Rescue Coordinator Jordan White pulled him from the water.

For more on this story, see Saturday's Daily Inter Lake.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com