BUENA VISTA, Colo. — A 40-year-old Boulder man died after he fell off his paddleboard and was swept downstream due to fast-moving water, according to the Chaffe County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office began receiving 911 calls about 4:30 p.m. Saturday about a person that was seen floating down the river from Buena Vista River Park, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
The victim was identified as Michael Robert James. According to the sheriff's office, James was paddleboarding at Buena Vista River Park when he fell into the water and was unable to get back on his paddleboard.
Boaters in the water attempted to rescue James, but he was swept away in the high, fast-moving water of the Arkansas River, the sheriff's office said.
A short time later, another boater saw James in Johnson Village and tried numerous times to pull him to safety but couldn't because of the fast water, the sheriff's office said.
The same boater accompanied James to the River Runners area, where emergency crews and witnesses pulled him out of the water. He was pronounced dead just before 6 p.m.
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