Angler pulls unconscious man from river and tries to save him before he dies, rangers say
An angler pulled an unconscious man from a river and tried to save him before he died, Colorado rangers said.
The man had been floating his camp downstream within the Arkansas River Recreation Area with a group of seven people when he fell off his innertube and into the river around 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.
The group had planned on floating the camp a few miles downstream on private land east of the town of Portland, officials said. While they were tubing, the group was separated and the man in his mid-thirties fell into the water.
An angler fishing nearby spotted the unconscious man in the river and pulled him to the shore, where they started CPR with help from other bystanders, officials said.
The resuscitation efforts were not successful, and medical staff from Fremont County declared he was dead, officials said. Rangers and investigators didn’t find a personal flotation device on or near the man.
The Fremont County Coroner will determine the cause of death, formally identify the victim and notify his next of kin, officials said.
“Colorado is currently on pace to surpass the record 42 water-related fatalities set in 2022,” officials said.
The area is about a 100-mile drive southwest from Colorado Springs.
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Angler pulls unconscious man from river and tries to save him before he dies, rangers say."
