Meridian man drowned while rafting Payette River, Boise County coroner says

A Meridian man died Saturday evening in a whitewater rafting accident in Boise County, according to Deputy Chief Coroner Mike Johnson.

Pete Herbst, 67, was rafting with family on the Payette River around 6:30 p.m. when he fell out of the raft as it went over a series of rapids. Herbst, who was wearing a life jacket, became trapped between rocks and was held underneath the water.

First responders attempted to revive Herbst when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, near milepost 2 on Banks-Lowman Road.

Johnson said Herbst’s cause of death was accidental drowning.

This story was originally published July 15, 2018 at 2:18 PM.