1 dead in rafting accident in Colorado River at Pyrite Rapids
One person died while rafting on the Colorado River at Pyrite Rapids in Gore Canyon on Monday afternoon. That's outside the town of Kremmling in unincorporated Grand County.
First responders, including the Grand County Sheriff's Office, Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Medical Services and Flight for Lift responded to the scene about 2:27 p.m. Monday where they found a male in his 30s not conscious and not breathing in the river.
The 38-year-old male had been pulled from the water after falling out of his raft. According to the Grand County Sheriff's Office, the Union Pacific Railroad provided assistance accessing the site via a hi-rail truck from the Kremmling railroad yard.
According to the initial investigation, a group of rafters had put in at the Confluence of the Blue River and the Colorado River. Some members of the group told investigators that a short time into the float, the 38-year-old male, who was an experienced rafter, fell overboard and was in the water for an unknown amount of time before other members of his group could locate him.
Unfortunately, emergency medical services and the Flight for Life crew determined that all lifesaving interactions had been exhausted and he was declared deceased on scene. He was wearing a helmet and personal floatation device.
The man has not been identified.
