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The family of a kayak guide who died in Yellowstone Lake in 2017 and the company that employed him are hoping to reach an out-of-court settlement in connection with his death.
Timothy …
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The family of a kayak guide who died in Yellowstone Lake in 2017 and the company that employed him are hoping to reach an out-of-court settlement in connection with his death.
Timothy Conant’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the outfitting company OARS and several of its employees and representatives in Park County’s District Court in June. Conant attempted to rescue a capsized client during a kayaking tour of the West Thumb Geyser Basin when he himself fell into the water. His fellow guides reportedly thought that Conant would be able to rescue himself and left him. But Conant never made it back into his kayak, becoming hypothermic and drowning before others could save him.
The Salt Lake City resident was 23.
The lawsuit filed alleges that Conant would still be alive if not for negligence on the part of OARS and its employees. His mother, Molly James, alleges that the company failed to warn her son about the dangers of the job, failed to give him proper training and equipment and sent him into windy, dangerous conditions that afternoon.
OARS and the other named defendants in the suit — including company officers Tyler and Christopher Wendt — had been due to file formal answers to the complaint soon.
However, in a Tuesday filing, the parties said they’ve instead agreed to work toward an “informal resolution” of the lawsuit “and all other matters related to the June 14, 2017 death of Timothy Conant.”
They plan to pick a mediator by the end of this month and to exchange relevant documents by mid-September.
Before a mediation session is scheduled, James and her attorney, Jalie Meinecke of Cody/Sheridan, will submit a formal settlement demand, which will presumably detail the amount of money the family is seeking from OARS and its representatives.
“The demand is necessary to [an] evaluation of the probability of success at mediation,” the filing says.
If either party feels the resolution process has broken down, they can notify the court; at that point, OARS and the other defendants will have 30 days to file an answer. OARS and its representatives are all currently being represented by Tracey Knutson, an Alaska-based attorney whose firm focuses on defense work related to recreation and adventure sports.
