SEELEY LAKE – Just before 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 there was a call that there was a boating accident at Lake Alva. Screams for help alerted those on the shore and someone camping at the Lakeside Campground came with a pontoon. A 70-year-old Eureka man received CPR but upon the arrival of Life Flight was confirmed dead.
According to Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Robert Parcell, the 70-year-old man from Eureka and his 24-year-old grandson from Missoula were out canoeing on Lake Alva in an Old Town Saranac Canoe. They visited the island and were enjoying a few drinks. On the way back to the campground, something went wrong and they capsized the canoe.
The 70-year-old man was having a hard time staying above water. His grandson threw him a life jacket and tried to help him.
“It didn’t work real well,” said Parcell. “That is when he started screaming for help.”
A camper at Lakeside on the south end of lake heard the screams for help and rushed over with his pontoon. Once he reached the man and his grandson, Parcell said he dove into the water. He was able to help them both and got the 70-year-old man out of the water and onto the pontoon. He started CPR. Parcell said it was his understanding that the man had advanced medical training and was an EMT or paramedic.
“He is kind of the hero in the situation,” said Parcell. “He really stood up to the problem.”
They brought the Eureka man to shore where they continued CPR. Once Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Heath Hanson arrived they loaded the victim into the back of his truck and brought him to the main Lake Alva turnoff and Highway 83 to wait for Life Flight.
Once Seeley Lake Fire Department arrived they ran tests on the victim who wasn’t showing any signs of life. They continued CPR until Life Flight landed and checked him. The man was pronounced dead and no advanced life support life measures were taken.
“If you are on the water, it is ridiculous if you are not wearing your personal flotation devices. You’ve got them, wear them and you shouldn’t be out without them,” said Parcell. “It will make a lot of difference and may have made the difference in this. I would rather be uncomfortable than deceased.”
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