Man killed in rafting accident in Colorado, another man saved

A 34-year-old man died on Sunday while rafting on the Colorado River, according to a news release from the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.

The man was rafting with a group of five other people between the Shoshone Power Plant and Grizzly Creek when he and another man were dumped into the river while trying to navigate a rapid.

Members of the group were able to retrieve both men and get them to shore. They began CPR, but were only able to resuscitate one of them.

The victim was reportedly wearing a personal floatation device and a helmet when the accident happened.

“Water levels are predicted to come up even more in the next couple weeks and stay at a high level for over a month. River safety should be our biggest concern right now. Navigating the river is tricky under normal conditions and when you add three to four times the amount of water and speed, things can happen really fast," Garfield County Emergency Manager Chris Bornholdt said in the release.

The sheriff's office is calling Colorado River conditions "extreme" in Garfield County, and are projecting that peak water flows will continue for the next four to six weeks.

"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. There are areas of the Colorado River in Garfield County that will reach category four or five, during peak run off," the release said.

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