Rafting accident on the Colorado River claims the life of a New Castle resident

An accident during a family rafting trip on the Colorado River claimed the life of New Castle resident Matt Clemente on Saturday. Matt, an experienced boater, was out on the river near New Castle with his brother Nick, their three children and their dog.

According to family friend Mary Sundblom, the family got into trouble when their raft hit a large wave. Despite Matt’s efforts to navigate safely, the raft filled with water and capsized. Matt issued his personal flotation device.

The accident occurred near a section of the river known as the “Dino Hole.” According to Sundblom, who learned of the incident from Matt’s brother and children, Matt saw other boats taking a rough line and tried to take a safer route, which resulted in the raft being overrun by the waves. Nick was able to swim to shore alone and Matt’s eldest child, Jasper (9).

Sundblom said rafting guides from nearby Defiance Rafting Company managed to rescue Matt’s two other children further downstream. The family’s dog, Ooggie Boogie, was found alive by Garfield County sheriffs on Sunday. According to a Facebook post from Garfield County Search and Rescue (which has since been deleted), an eight-member rescue team and two watercraft were dispatched and found Matt’s body downstream on a sandbar near the New Castle boat ramp on Saturday night. His body was recovered by helicopter at around 7:35 p.m.

Sundblom described Matt as a popular figure in the New Castle area. He worked as a nurse at Valley View and Aspen Valley Hospital and was in the process of starting a home health care business to provide care to those in need.

“He was an avid outdoorsman who loved the rivers, loved camping and loved being with his family,” Sundblom said. “He was a carefree, playful, fun, incredible father.”

Matt leaves behind his wife Raven and their three children: Jasper, Pepper, 7, and Prairie, 5. A GoFundMe campaign The campaign has been launched to help Matt’s family and can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-matts-family-navigate-their-loss