Close call for boater on Palisades Reservoir
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Editor’s note: Authorities originally told EastIdahoNews.com the boat had sunk. However, they now tell us it had taken on water but was partially afloat. The story has been updated with that information.
SWAN VALLEY — Emergency crews rushed to the Palisades Reservoir for a boat in distress and one man in the water on the afternoon of Friday, May 6.
Swan Valley and Idaho Falls fire departments responded around 1 p.m.
Emergency crews say they believe the boat started taking on water near Little Elk Creek.
Rescuers found the man using the boat of a private citizen who had volunteered to help in the rescue.
“The man (whose boat had took on water) … had been in contact with dispatch (and) was located on the bank,” Emergency Medical Services Chief Eric Day told EastIdahoNews.com. “When paramedics got to the man, he was found to be uninjured.”
Initial reports indicate the boat’s bilge pump failed. The man attempted to make it back to shore but at one point he was thrown from the boat.
The boat was beached, and recovery crews are working to remove it from the area.