Details Surfacing in Fatal Snake River Rafting Accident

A few more details are emerging in connection with the fatal rafting accident that occurred on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park back in June.
In documents obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information request, the raft guide, who hasn't been publicly identified, told investigators that his raft flipped after striking a tree that had been washed into the river overnight.
"After I had cleared the entrance (of the channel) I looked up and saw that a new tree had lodged in the middle of the channel, closing the left side of the channel," the guide wrote in a four-page report to investigators. "I started to back row as fast and as powerful as I could to get to the right side of the new tree but I was unable because the current was so powerful."
The guide's version of the accident also details how he checked his passengers to ensure they had properly fastened their life jackets and his instructions to them on how to swim in the river if they fell out of the raft.
The AP's report, which you can find here, also contains comments from five of the raft's nine surviving passengers and their praise for the guide's actions.
Park Service officials say they might form a formal Board of Inquiry to further investigate the accident, but that usually happens six to nine months down the road.