BOZEMAN — A Belgrade man died Tuesday on the lower Madison River when the canoe he was in hit a large cottonwood snag in the river channel, causing it to overturn.
According to the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, rescuers responded at around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday about two miles north of the Cobblestone Fishing Access.
Two fishermen found one man on a gravel bank with minor injuries and the man who died was still in the canoe, caught in the snag.
The Sheriff's Office identified the man as Scot E. Smith II of Belgrade.
The Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the cause of death is being investigated, adding that with "the help of deputies and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, all parties were accounted for and recovered."
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Three Forks Ambulance, and Three Forks Fire Department all responded to the incident.
No further information about the condition of the injured man has been released.
Authorities have not said at this point whether either of the men was wearing a life-jacket or flotation device.
We will update you if we receive any more information.
