Man rafting with friends dies after rapid throws him in ‘intense’ river, CO cops say
A man rafting with friends died after he and another were thrown into a Colorado river, a sheriff’s office said.
Nicholas Courtens, 34, was with a group of four others on the Colorado River divided into two rafts on Sunday, May 21, according to news releases from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the county coroner’s office.
While “navigating a rapid and eddy,” Courtens, who was wearing “a personal flotation device and a helmet,” and another rafter were thrown from the raft, according to officials.
The group could not initially get to Courtens after he fell into the water, the coroner’s office said.
They were ultimately able to pull Courtens and the other rafter to shore, where they began to perform CPR on the pair, deputies said.
While the other rafter survived, the sheriff’s office said, Courtens was pronounced dead on scene after first responders arrived, according to the coroner’s office.
The sheriff’s office warned that the river is “reaching peak water flows.”
“Understand these high waters of the Colorado River and contributing streams and rivers are intense with strong undertows and opportunities for even the best and most experienced river runners to find themselves in harm’s way,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said the river’s “extreme conditions” are expected to continue for the next four to six weeks as snow melts in the high country and “water flows to the valley floors.”
“Navigating the river is tricky under normal conditions and when you add 3-4 times the amount of water and speed, things can happen really fast,” Chris Bornholdt, Garfield County emergency manager, said in the release.
Those planning on entering the river should “wear proper life jackets and head gear” and research the area before entering the water, deputies said.
“Hazards can change day-by-day, including debris and tree snags that can trap people underwater and puncture rafts, dangerous currents, and cold water temperatures that can create dangerous situations for even strong swimmers,” Colleen Pennington, a manager with the White River National Forest, said in the sheriff’s office release.
This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Man rafting with friends dies after rapid throws him in ‘intense’ river, CO cops say."
