Man drowns in North Fork 'shelf'; no lifejacket

A Minnesota man drowned in the North Fork of the Flathead River Friday evening. According to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Lee Alan Gebro, 44, of Minneapolis was rafting with friends when their raft flipped on a hazardous section of the river just north of Glacier Rim known as the “shelf”.

All three of the occupants of the raft were thrown into the water. The raft got stuck in the hydraulic below the shelf. Gebro helped the two other occupants to shore. The raft became dislodged and he attempted to swim after it to retrieve it but drowned in the process.

None of the occupants of the raft were wearing a life jacket. An initial search of the river Friday evening by North Valley Search and Rescue, Sheriff’s office personnel and the Two Bear helicopter was unsuccessful in locating the victim.

On Saturday, members of the Flathead County Sheriff Dive Rescue team and North Valley Search and Rescue resumed the search. Divers were successful in locating the victim in about 15 feet of water in an eddy below the shelf.

The shelf is one of the most dangerous portions of the river and this season already many folks have been dumped into the river there. Folks are urged to stay river left and go around the whitewater.