ELLENSBURG — A Gig Harbor man drowned in the Yakima River this weekend when one of his legs became wedged in a logjam and the current held him under, authorities said.
Albert Schwoch, 25, died when his leg was caught in the branches and his friends were unable to save him, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department announced this morning.
Members of his group, which included his fiancee, could not reach Schwoch after the five were caught in the logjam below the Ringer boat launch near the Yakima Canyon.
“Members of the Swift-Water Rescue Team found the group had tied tubes and small rafts together and were unable to negotiate around a log jam,” Undersheriff Clayton Myers said of the incident shortly before noon Saturday.
The drowning was the first of several water rescue calls that the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol responded to that day on the Yakima and Columbia rivers.
After finding Schwoch’s body and assisting his group, authorities rescued members of a large family reunion which had launched above Ringer.
“This group was also using tubes and small rafts. Of the 22 members in this group, including their dog, three were treated for hypothermia and released,” the news release said.
Myers stressed caution on the river in light of Saturday’s incidents.
“When floating above the Bighorn Launch, near (milepost) 23, we do not recommend tying tubes and rafts together as it greatly reduces your ability to maneuver,” Myers said.
“We do not recommend launching at or above Ringer unless you have experience and very maneuverable watercraft.”
The marine unit towed three vessels on the Columbia River, authorities said.
