A Utah family narrowly escaped after driving into Snake River Monday afternoon. | Courtesy Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office

IDAHO FALLS – A Utah family was rescued from the Snake River Monday afternoon after their van went off the road near the Fall Creek Campground.

EastIdahoNews.com

Emergency personnel responded to the incident around 12:20 p.m. after the driver called for help, advising they rolled into Snake River downstream from the Fall River Campground. The driver advised his wife and four children were also inside the van. As it was floating downstream, they were having difficulty getting out while water was filling up inside.

As emergency personnel were arriving, the van was found stuck on some rocks in the current just upstream from the Fall Creek Falls on the Snake River Road. All occupants were still inside the van with their heads above water. As rope and dive equipment arrived on scene, rescuers were able to safely extract the children and adults to the waters edge, where they were pulled up a 30-foot embankment with ropes to the road.

The family, all from Utah, had been camping in the area with friends prior to the crash. Aside from exposure to the cold water, all occupants were uninjured and checked by ambulance personnel at the scene. Deputies determined the van had driven too close to the road edge when the passenger tires went off the embankment, causing the van to roll down into the river.

Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies, the BCSO Dive Rescue Team, Idaho Falls Ambulance, Swan Valley Fire and Jefferson Central Tech Rescue Team all responded to the incident. Bystanders in the area, including a BCSO Deputy camping nearby, also assisted in safely securing the van in the current and extricating the occupants. The Snake River Road was closed in that area for about two hours while emergency personnel and tow equipment retrieved the van from the water.