Nate Peterson/Vail Daily
AVON — A rafting accident near EagleVail left one man dead Thursday afternoon.
Emergency crews responded to calls around 1:10 p.m. that a raft had flipped in the Eagle River. The raft his a high wave and Four of the five men in the raft managed to scramble to the river bank and safety. One ran to
Around 1:10 p.m., emergency crews responded to a call regarding a flipped raft in the Eagle River. The call was made after one of the rafters scrambled to get out of the river and alerted nearby golfers to call 911.
Earlier this afternoon first responders received a report of an overturned raft floating in the Eagle River in Eagle-Vail, Colo. Once on scene, first responders learned that there were five occupants on the private raft at the time that it turned over. Four of the occupants emerged from the water but one was unaccounted for. The unaccounted person was located floating near the Eaglebend Apartments in Avon, Colo.
Several agencies worked diligently to implement a river rescue and were able to locate the fifth individual in the water. Once the individual was pulled from the water CPR was started immediately. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital however the resuscitations efforts were unsuccessful.
The identity of the victim is not being released at this time pending next of kin notifications.
First responders pulled a rafter out of the Eagle River Thursday afternoon and performed life-saving measures on him in front of onlookers just outside the gate of the pool at the Weston Riverfront Resort & Spa.
Four of the rafters were able to get to safety, while one remained behind. Crews rallied behind the Westin pool to rescue the rafter, who was administered CPR and was taken away in an ambulance. His condition is currently unknown, though the man had a heart rhythm prior to transport.
First responders then worked to pull the empty raft up the river bank. Responders have been practicing fast water rescues for the past several weeks in anticipation of high river flows.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.