Utah family home safely after minivan rolls down embankment, into Snake River in Idaho

IDAHO FALLS — A family was back at home in Utah Tuesday after their minivan rolled down a 30-foot embankment and crews rescued the husband, wife and four kids from the waters of the Snake River.

According to Bonneville County Sheriff's Sgt. Bryan Lovell, dispatch received a 911 call from the family at 12:20 p.m. Monday as they were stuck in their halfway-submerged minivan in the Swan Valley area, approximately 45 miles east of Idaho Falls.

"They had went off the side of the road and rolled down into the river and were floating down the river as water was rising up inside the vehicle," Lovell said during an interview Tuesday with KSL-TV.

Lovell said it was a narrow road, and it appeared a couple of the van's tires had simply gone a little too far over the edge and pulled the van down the hill.

"The water was up to the windowsill, maybe a little taller, so, you know, everybody inside the van had their head and shoulders above the water," Lovell said.

Crews equipped with diving and rope gear were able to get the family out safely.

Outside of exposure to the cold waters, Lovell said medics found the family members to be uninjured by the mishap.

"If it had landed upside down in the water or on its side, we could have had a different outcome there," he said.

The family declined an interview with KSL Tuesday through a request placed with the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office.

Susan Richardson was also on the road Monday and took out her phone to record video of the rescue after learning a car was down in the water.

"I always get nervous about that," Richardson said of navigating the narrow road through the Fall Creek Falls area. "It's scary sometimes."

She said she and her husband were relieved that the family made it out safely.

"We feel like they were very fortunate that things didn't take a more serious turn," Richardson said.

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