Teens taken to hospital after incident at dam on Shoshone River  

Four young women were injured Wednesday afternoon when they went over Mormon Dam during a floating trip down the Shoshone River.

At the scene, a tearful Chelsie Haire of Powell said her sisters, Joey and Jaclyn Haire, and two cousins from out of town, Melani and Kylie, all were injured, some more seriously than others.

All were transported by in two ambulances to Powell Valley Hospital. Condition reports were not immediately available; updates will be posted on the Tribune’s website and its Facebook page.

Family members were gathered at the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Chelsie said the foursome had floated the river several times before and never had a problem. But this time, the water was so high that they didn’t realize the dam was coming up.

“They’re used to seeing a little waterfall in between (the place they started and the dam), but this time, the water was way too high, and they couldn’t see it,” she said.

One had told Chelsie “that when they got to right here, they knew instantly it wasn’t the waterfall, because they couldn’t see the bottom, and then they couldn’t stop anything,” she said.

Chelsie said Kylie’s leg appeared to be seriously injured, Melani had scratches, Jaclyn had a fracture, and Joey “had a hole in her knee.”

Though she was distressed over their injuries, Chelsie knew things could have been much worse.

“I just know God was watching over them,” she said.