High Water Hampers Search For Trucker

Rescue crews and divers failed on Friday to find the body of Montana man who was killed Wednesday when his dump truck crashed through a bridge and went into the Clark Fork River.

Brandon Short, 39, of Heron, Mont., went into the raging river with his truck. Authorities have searched for him since Wednesday, combing banks and probing the bottom of the river. A cadaver dog also was used in the search.

“We are finding there are some deep holes out there near where the truck went in,” said Bonner County Undersheriff Nick Krager.

The flooded river is moving very fast, and authorities aren’t able to put divers in the water. The divers could be swept away or trapped in the swirling pools just under the surface.

Short was hauling rock to shore up some property on Derr Island. His dump truck crashed through an old wood-planked bridge and was submerged in about 15 feet of water. The truck appeared to have been too heavy for the old bridge.

Authorities believe the current pushed Short’s body out of the truck cab and washed him down river. The search for Short will continue for the next few weeks.

, DataTimes