Boat crashes into people tubing behind another boat, killing one and injuring another
A boat crashed into an inflatable inner tube carrying three people behind another boat on a southwestern Colorado lake, killing one of them and sending one to a hospital, rangers said.
The third person riding the tube was not injured, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. All three people were wearing personal flotation devices during the collision, officials said.
The agency is investigating the Saturday, July 6, collision at Navajo State Park along with the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
It happened about 2:30 p.m. on the park’s lake near Windsurf Beach, officials said.
“Multiple 911 calls came in from other parties on the two vessels and were quickly relayed to our rangers,” park ranger Mitchell Ramm said in the release. “The call came to us at 2:33 p.m., and I was on the scene shortly after and found the two victims. The Southern Ute Police Department also responded to help. We extend our sympathies to the families and friends of the victims.”
Officials did not release the victims’ ages. Local news outlets reported a 25-year-old woman from Durango was killed, according to the Durango Herald and 9News.
The Archuleta County Coroner will determine the cause of death, officials said.
Campgrounds, marinas and the park stayed open after the collision, officials said. Windsurf Beach was closed temporarily but has since reopened, except for the waters around the collision pending the investigation.
Navajo State Park is about a 40-mile drive southeast from Durango, and about a 280-mile drive southwest from Colorado Springs. It is a popular recreational attraction, drawing more than 300,000 visitors to the park for boating, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Boat crashes into people tubing behind another boat, killing one and injuring another."
