Rescuers were unable to resuscitate a person they recovered from the Roaring Fork River near the Lazy Glen subdivision on Monday after strong, runoff-fueled currents carried the victim downstream roughly 1 ½ to 2 miles, authorities said.
The victim’s name and town of residence were not immediately available. It did not appear the person had been in a water vessel like a boat or raft, according to Scott Thompson, chief of Roaring Fork Fire Rescue. The incident had the makings of someone falling into the river from its banks, but that wasn’t a certainty, Thompson said. Likewise, it was believed the victim was a male but that was not confirmable at deadline.
“From our reports he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt,” said Thompson, “which does not sound like a person who was planning on being in the water.”
Authorities were alerted about the incident at around noon from a caller at a residence on Lower Creek Road, according to Thompson. The caller had reported seeing a body float by in the river.
“Based on the information that was given to us, one person tried to rescue the person by hanging onto the person but couldn’t hold on and let him go,” Thompson said.
Parker Lathrop, chief deputy of operations for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed the fatality and said the matter is under investigation.
Authorities recovered the person from the river in the area where it passes under the Highway 82 overpass near Lazy Glen, according to Thompson.
“We did CPR and other lifesaving measures and unfortunately we could not (save) him,” said Thompson, noting that the aiding agencies were the Aspen and Carbondale fire departments and Aspen Ambulance.
This is the time of the year when the high country rivers reach their peak flow rates along with the danger posed to river-users. Local swift water rescuers have been bracing and training in the lead-up to peak runoff season, which is now.
At 7 a.m. Monday near Emma, Roaring Fork River water was flowing at 1,910 cubic feet per second, according to riverreports.com. The average flow rate this time of year in that area is 1,190 cfs, the Aspen Daily News reported Saturday.
“Right now the river is bankfull and it’s moving really fast, and it’s dangerous,” said Thompson.
While there were no river incidents over Saturday and Sunday, Memorial Day saw two.
In addition to responding to the fatality, Roaring Fork Fire Rescue were called to the Hooks Lane bridge near Willits in Basalt, for a report of a mother and child who had been flipped from their raft on the Roaring Fork. The two made it to an island midstream.
“They ended up being stranded on the island, uninjured,” said Thompson. “The boat that they fell out of could not stop at the island.”
The private raft’s third occupant, a male who was rowing it, was not thrown from the vessel, Thompson said.
As first responders prepared to rescue the mother and child from the island surrounded by whitewater rapids, a private boat passing by was able to help rescuers by using a pendulum technique to bring them to shore. Neither one was injured or required medical attention, Thompson said.
It is critical this time of the year for river users to survey their surroundings before recreating on the water, something Thompson keeps emphasizing.
“People need to make real strong judgment calls,” Thompson said. “You’ve gotta scout the water and make sure you know what things to avoid. This is a dangerous time of the year, and it’s only going to get worse.”