FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. — A man died on a private tubing trip down the Arkansas River in Fremont County on Saturday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
Rangers with CPW's Arkansas Headwater Recreation Area (AHRA) responded around 11 a.m. to a report of people providing CPR to a man along a riverbank a few miles downstream of Portland, CPW said.
Based on the initial reports, authorities learned a group of seven people on inner tubes had gone into the water with a plan to float to their campsite a few miles downstream. The group split while on the water and one person reportedly fell out of the tub.
A fisher saw the unresponsive man in the water and was able to bring him to shore and begin CPR with the help of other bystanders, CPW said. The person was pronounced deceased at the scene by Fremont County medical staff.
The person was only identified as a man in his mid-30s. The Fremont County Coroner's Office will determine his cause and manner of death.
CPW said authorities did not find any personal flotation device on or near the man.
Multiple agencies responded to the call, including Florence EMS, Fremont County Sheriff's Office, the Fremont County Coroner and CPW.
According to a Colorado Public Radio report from July 11, 14 people have drowned so far this year in Colorado state parks or recreation areas, which include the Arkansas headwaters area. Saturday's incident marked the 15th death in these areas.
The state is currently on pace to surpass the record 42 water-related fatalities set in 2022, CPW said.
In late June, Denver7 spoke with a Fort Collins family that is stressing the importance of wearing a life jacket after they say their loved one drowned in a northern Colorado reservoir. Hear their story below.
