UPDATE:
SWAN VALLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — A family of six from Utah was safely rescued from the Snake River this afternoon after their van rolled off the road near the Fall Creek Campground. The accident happend just after noon, prompting a multi-agency rescue effort.
The driver of the van, carrying his wife and four children, was able to call 911, telling the dispatchers that their vehicle was floating downstream, and they were unable to get out.
Emergency personnel arriving on the scene found the van precariously stuck on a cluster of rocks in the swift current, just upstream from Fall Creek Falls. All six occupants remained inside the submerged van with their heads above water.
Rescuers quickly mobilized, with Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies, Swan Valley EMS and Fire, personnel from Jefferson County, and even a BCSO Deputy camping nearby working together. They were able to secure the van against the current before using boats and jet skis to reach the stranded family and bring them safely to shore.
Despite the frightening ordeal and exposure to the cold river water, emergency responders determined that the family was unharmed.
Deputies investigating the incident concluded that the van had driven too close to the road’s edge. Its passenger-side tires went off the embankment, causing the vehicle to roll down into the river. The family, all from Utah, had been camping in the area with friends before the crash.
The Snake River Road was closed for approximately two hours in the affected area while emergency crews and tow equipment worked to retrieve the van from the water.
ORIGINAL:
SWAN VALLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — A family of 6 was rescued today, July 14, after their minivan ended up in the Snake River. The accident happened just after noon on Snake River Road, near the Fall Creek campground in Swan Valley.
Two adults and four children found themselves trapped inside their vehicle as it entered the swift-moving water. Emergency crews, including Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies, Swan Valley EMS and Fire, and personnel from Jefferson County, swiftly responded to the scene. Rescuers utilized boats and jet skis to reach the stranded family and bring them safely to shore.
Emergency responders on the scene determined the family was unharmed and no one needed to be taken to the hospital.
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
