18 Year-old Missoula Woman Drowns while Diving in Lake McDonald
An 18 year-old Missoula woman drowned in a scuba diving accident on Sunday at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park.
Spokeswoman Gina Kerzman provides details.
“On Sunday evening on November 1 at around 5:50 p.m. our Glacier National Park Rangers responded to report a scuba diving accident at Lake McDonald and an 18 year old female from Missoula was declared deceased,” said Kerzman. “Resuscitation efforts by members of the diving group and first responders were unsuccessful.”
Kerzman said authorities were able to access the scene quickly thanks to bystanders who drove to a location will cell coverage.
“At the time of the incident, some bystanders drove to Apgar Village to get cell phone signal so they could call 911,” she said. “Alert was first on the scene about 30 minutes after the initial 911 call. A second diver a 22 year old male suffered shortness of breath and was also transported by three rivers ambulance to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He was later flown to Seattle Washington for hyperbaric treatment.”
Kerzman said Lake McDonald is a popular spot for divers to see artifacts on the lake’s bottom.
“Lake McDonald is a popular diving site for some scuba diving groups because of the amount of submerged artifacts that are in the lake,” she said. “It's not I wouldn't say is a diving destination, but we definitely have people who are interested in diving the lake so they can see some of the things that have been thrown into the lake over the years prior to the lake McDonald lodge being in possession of the National Park Service.”
The victim’s name is being withheld until her family can be notified.