Star Valley Search and Rescue (SAR) recovered the body of an Idaho woman who died after falling 100 feet into the Snake River near Alpine after “a tragic accident” Wednesday afternoon.
Joyce Balls, 89, of Rigby, Idaho, was with her sister and niece at a picnic area overlooking the Big Kahuna rapid along U.S. Highway 26 when the accident happened, Star Valley SAR reports.
“They were just sitting there having a nice little lunch, and when they got up to leave, she lost her footing,” SAR Capt. Clint Erickson told Cowboy State Daily. “Something ended up happening, and she went over the edge, a 100-foot descent over cliffs and a very steep mountainside down into the river.”
Jay Hokanson, deputy coroner with the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office, confirmed that Balls died from “injuries sustained in the fall.”
Response And Recovery
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch got a call about the incident at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday. Star Valley SAR, the Alpine Fire Department, Alpine EMS and the U.S. Forest Service’s River Crew responded to the scene.
“When we got there, we launched our jet skis and a boat with four guys onboard,” Erickson said. “In between that time, we got our drone operator canvassing the river.”
Erickson said the drone operator was sent to “close off the box.” That means they were positioned at the farthest point of the search area to ensure nobody goes beyond the point of interest in the search.
As the drone operator scanned the banks of the Snake River, they got a positive visual contact of Balls in the water near Red Creek, less than a mile downriver.
The drone operator was able to direct the Alpine SAR crew to a landing point where they could recover Balls’ body.
This is the second time Afton SAR has recovered a body in the last two weeks.
On June 12, the body of Ned Eddins, 93, was recovered from the water in Swift Creek Canyon after he went missing while riding his e-bike June 10.
An Infamous Area
The section of the Snake River between the Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter rapids is “infamous,” Erickson said.
“As far as water features on the Snake River, it's a section of rapids that are very well known in the river rafting community,” he said. “A lot of people surf on the Lunch Counter rapid, so it’s a very known water feature, for sure.”
It’s also a notorious spot for local EMS and SAR personnel.
Erickson said the U.S. Forest Service placed an automated external defibrillator (AED) near the spot where Balls’ body was recovered because of the frequent responses to that area.
“When people fall into the Snake River at Lunch Counter, the general flow of the river puts them in that area,” he said. “The AED is there in case someone has a heart attack after falling in.”
The AED wouldn’t have been able to save Balls, however. She died from the 100-foot fall from the Big Kahuna Overlook into the river below.
“It was a very tragic death,” Erickson said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
