Abstract: On June15, 2011, Employee #1, working as a Federal volunteer along with two other employees, were engaged in a seining operation to sample endangered fish. Employee #1 stepped off a sandbar into approximately 3 foot wide pool of water that was approximately 27 feet deep and panicked. The two other volunteers also stepped into the pool but were able to swim out of the pool to a nearby sandbar. The two volunteers attempted to rescue Employee #1, but were unsuccessful, and were forced to back off. Employee #1 apparently went under the water, and he drowned. One of the volunteers ran to the road to flag down a passing motorist (their cell phones were locked in the car, and Employee #1 had the keys). The second volunteer got the attention of a dredging operator with a small skiff and was able to rescue the other volunteers that were safe on the sandbar. Employee #1 or the other volunteers had personal flotation devices on, and there were no emergency rescue equipment available.