Sandy man killed after rafting accident in Colorado’s Green River
Jun 28, 2024, 6:17 PM
Photo from Harpers Corner Trail, looking into Whirlpool Canyon with a small area of visible smoke and flames about 1,000 feet above river level. (Dinosaur National Monument)
(Dinosaur National Monument)
DINOSAUR, Colorado — A 50-year-old man’s body was recovered from the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument after a boating accident on Thursday afternoon.
The National Park Service said at approximately 4 p.m., monument staff was notified by a group that one of their member’s boats was pinned on a rock in the Hell’s Half Mile rapids.
The group reported that the person was missing and believed to have been pinned under the raft.
“The group was eventually able to unpin and secure the boat, but the person, now dislodged, unresponsive, and having lost his lifejacket, drifted downriver,” stated the NPS press release.
NPS said that River Patrol Rangers met up with the group and began recovery efforts for the 50-year-old man.
On Friday morning, monument staff was contacted by a commercial rafting company that the man’s body was found and secured by its guides about 10 miles downstream from where the accident happened.
NPS said monument staff, the company, and a helicopter crew transported the man’s body to the Moffat County coroner’s office.
Officials have not released the man’s name, but confirmed he was from Sandy, Utah.
“Dinosaur National Monument expresses appreciation for Classic, Adrift, River Runners Transport, Moffat County ACTSS (Advocates, Crisis, Trauma, and Survivor Services) and monument staff who assisted in search and recovery efforts, and offers condolences to the family and river community impacted by this incident,” the NPS said.
