Clackamas fisherman drowns in Santiam River

Companion makes it to shore uninjured; deputies say neither wore life jacket

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Clackamas man fishing with a companion on the Santiam River drowned when both fell in the water from their boat Saturday afternoon, Marion County sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies were dispatched shortly after 2 p.m. to the reported water rescue on the Santiam River near the confluence with the Willamette River.

A caller reported he and another person fell into the river from a 15-foot aluminum boat while fishing. Deputies said the caller told dispatchers he was able to make it to shore safely, but the other person in the boat was still unaccounted for.

Before first responders arrived, kayakers found the missing man in the water and brought him to shore. They administered CPR in an attempt to resuscitate him before a Jefferson Fire District ambulance took him to an area hospital, where the man, identified as Gary Schweitzer, 64, of Clackamas, was pronounced deceased.

Deputies investigating the incident determined neither person in the boat was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.