Extreme sports can often lead to unexpected situations that evoke death. This was the case for a middle-aged man from Columbia Falls, who attended a group of friends in a white-water rafting adventure in Glacier National Park. August 29th would mark the untimely loss of this man, who was working towards freeing two pontoon boats stuck in the rapids.
Glacier National Park Rangers were called at 5:42 PM that evening, responding to reports that CPR had begun near the Glacier Rim of Flathead River at the North Fork. Park Rangers arrived on scene to learn that CPR efforts for this middle-aged man hadn’t been successful. North Valley Rescue was given the GPS Location of rangers & the group that had lost their friend to the Flathead River. North Valley Rescue provided jet Boat transportation to the Fool Hen Rapids, located two miles up the Flathead River.
A.L.E.R.T Air Ambulance Staff took the body of Ronald Newton & taken to an unknown morgue for burial accommodations. EMS with A.L.E.R.T were on scene with Glacier National Park Rangers arrived, with paramedics dropping via rope to the where Ronald Newton laid. He was 62 Years of Age.
Witnesses on the Flathead River watched the group of adult’s float down this river, which is recommended to avoid because of its intense rapids. Two pontoon boats that were tied together caught against an edged rock in the Flathead Rapids, North Fork. Ronald Newton worked towards freeing the two pontoon vessels from their binding from a separate watercraft. The power of the rapids became too strong & prompted his pontoon boat to flip, with Ronald Newton submerging underwater.
62-Year-Old Ronald Newton wasn’t wearing the proper equipment for white water rafting, meaning the ageing adult wasn’t wearing a Personal Flotation Device or Helmet. Bystanders noted that his body was caught underneath the flipped watercraft, causing his body to rotate numerous times underwater & lose oxygen. Before friends could safely uncover his body was the rapids, Robert Newton suffocated to death.
Those same friends & several bystanders assisted the group in pulling their single remaining watercraft to a nearby gravel bar. CPS was given to Robert Newman for one hour after the event. All efforts were deemed a failure. It should be mentioned the morgue is determining his death—however, reasons for his passing if self-explanatory.
