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Great Falls man recalls almost drowning on Missouri River: ‘It was terrifying’

Posted at 10:58 AM, Jun 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-20 12:58:01-04

GREAT FALLS-A Great Falls resident is warning others to stay vigilant on the Missouri River after he nearly drowned several years ago.

Brady Kingston was swimming near a sand bar when, out of nowhere, the current started pulling him under and downstream.

Brady said, “No matter how hard I kicked my legs, it just seemed like it wasn’t pulling me up. All I could think of was that I just had to get my entire body as high up on the water as I could to try to swim towards shore.”

He said he swam with everything he had to try to get back toward the sand bar where his friend was.

When he got close enough, his friend pulled him up onto shore.

“I had no energy left and I couldn’t even climb, crawl on shore, I was exhausted,” Brady added.

He said it all happened so fast — in the blink of an eye, he went from having fun to almost losing his life.

Brady said, “It was terrifying. I tried to keep my calm. It was all happening so fast. Growing up, I’ve always been told about the current and the undertow and stuff and experiencing it first hand and how powerful it was, that was life-changing.”

Since Brady’s terrifying experience on the river, he said he does not recreate in the water unless he’s on a boat.

He wants to remind everyone to make sure they wear their life jackets.

He said, “I don’t think they realize how powerful the currents are underneath.”

For more tips on recreating on waterways safely, you can visit the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website at the following links:

-Kasey Herman reporting for MTN