Coroner: Aspen Man Loren M. Ryerson Might Have Had Fatal 'Medical Event'
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — An autopsy has revealed that a 38-year-old Aspen man who was found unconscious and lying partially in the Roaring Fork River in western Colorado did not die from a fall as initially thought but might have had a "medical event" instead.
The Pitkin County Coroner's Office originally said Loren M. Ryerson suffered a head injury when he accidentally fell on the riverbank in Aspen on Sunday morning. The autopsy determined Ryerson's injuries were not consistent with a fall from a nearby bridge, and he might have had a medical problem while retrieving a phone he had dropped.
Ryerson, the son of former Aspen Police Chief Loren Ryerson, was treated after a homeowner saw him lying on the riverbank near a downtown park and called authorities. He died at a Denver-area hospital Monday.
The Aspen Times reports Ryerson graduated from Aspen High School and worked at different area businesses after studying at the University of Arizona.
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