Inebriated rafter washes up a mile downstream from dam

ELLENSBURG — A 28-year-old man was found unconscious but alive after a boating accident Friday on the Yakima River in Kittitas County.

Shawn Smith of Renton, Wash., was in a raft that went over a diversion dam along State Route 10 about four miles west of Ellensburg, according to a news release from the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office.

He was with a group of a dozen rafters floating on the Yakima River, but all the others jumped out of the rafts and swam to shore above the dam, according to the news release, which noted that Smith was "slowed by intoxication."

The other members of the group saw Smith go over the dam and saw the rafts flip, but then lost sight of him. The Kittitas County River Rescue Team searched for Smith, who was eventually was observed crawling out of the river and collapsing on the bank near a house a mile downstream from the dam.

The residents notified authorities, and a rescue boat responded to the scene. The news release said Smith, who had been in the water for half an hour as he was swept downstream, was treated for minor injuries and released to his friends.

All the rafters on the holiday weekend excursion were from the west side of the state, and the sheriff's news release said only one member of the group was seen with a life jacket. It also noted that a "significant" amount of clothing, trash and empty beer cans went over the dam.

The sheriff's office reminds people taking to the rivers for recreation to be responsible, and to "know where the hazards are, wear life jackets, avoid log jams and minimize alcohol consumption."