I didn't expect to read anything about the cause of the boat sinking for a while but here's the latest. I don't know how many gpm a jet will pump but apparently it filled the boat in a hurry.
ROGERSON — A Jerome man who was pulled from the water after a boat sank Friday morning is no longer listed as being hospitalized.
James A. Wilson, 65, of Jerome, was rescued from the Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir after the 22-foot Northwest jet boat he was on took on water and sank.
He was flown to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center but has since been released, according to hospital administrators.
Eugene Holm, 80, of Heyburn, who died in the incident, was also on the boat when a water line broke in the engine, said Lori Stewart, Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
Holm was attempting to grab a life jacket when the boat tipped, sending him into the cabin where water overwhelmed him, Stewart said.
After the boat sank, search and rescue and dive teams from Twin Falls, Bonneville and Bingham Counties spent Friday afternoon and most of Saturday looking for the boat and recovering Holm's body, Stewart said.
The Cassia County dive team also joined the search on Saturday.
Gene Turley, Twin Falls County Coroner, confirmed Holm drowned and the incident is considered an accident.
The boat remains at the bottom of the reservoir, Stewart said. Efforts to bring it to the surface were unsuccessful Saturday because the teams did not have the proper equipment.
The boat will be recovered at some point, but Stewart was unable to say when.
The possible environmental impact should be minimal, said Mike Peterson, regional fisheries manager for Idaho Fish and Game.
"If they get it out in the next week or so, it may not leak at all," Peterson said, referring to the oil and fuel contained in the boat's engine.
Peterson also indicated, because the reservoir is so large, the dilution factor would negate any harm to fish.
