GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. — A Vail man died while rafting on the Colorado River on Sunday afternoon.
The Garfield County Coroner's Office identified the man as 34-year-old Nicholas Courtens. The Garfield County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) said Courtens and four others were rafting in two rafts.
Courtens and another member of his rafting party fell into the water while the group was trying to navigate a rapid and an eddy, the Sheriff's Office said.
Courtens was initially unable to be pulled from the water by his rafting partners after he surfaced from the rapid and eddy, the coroner's office said. The other members of the rafting party eventually were able to pull Courtens and the other person from the water and brought them back to shore, the Sheriff's Office said.
The rafting party and two bystanders began CPR on Courtens and the other person, GCSO said. The other person responded to the CPR efforts, but Courtens did not.
Courtens was wearing a personal floatation device and a helmet, officials said.
The drowning happened between the Shoshone power plant and Grizzly Creek, the Sheriff's Office said.
Garfield County officials are warning people that the Colorado, Roaring Fork and Crystal rivers are starting to reach peak water flows.
“Water levels are predicted to come up even more in the next couple weeks and stay at a high level for over a month," said Garfield County Emergency Manager Chris Bornholdt. "River safety should be our biggest concern right now. 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.”
“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,” said Colleen Pennington, Glenwood Canyon manager for the White River National Forest.
Some areas of the Colorado River in Garfield County will reach category four or five during peak run off, the Sheriff's Office said.
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