Sandy man dies after rafting accident on Green River in Dinosaur National Monument

DINOSAUR, Colorado, June 29, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) – The body of a 50-year-old Sandy City man has been recovered following a rafting accident during a privately authorized trip on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument.

A statement from the National Park Service said that at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, monument staff were notified that a boat was stuck on a rock in Colorado’s Hells Half Mile rapids. One person from the group was missing and is suspected to have been stuck under the raft.

The group eventually managed to untie and secure the boat, but the person, now unresponsive and having lost his life jacket, drifted downstream.

The River Patrol Rangers were notified and began traveling by raft through Lodore Canyon to intercept the group and conduct recovery operations. Additional support traveled by car via Echo Park Road.

At 7:45 a.m. the next morning, memorial staff received information from a commercial rafting company that the victim’s body had been found about 10 river miles downstream from the accident site and had been carried to safety by guides, the statement said.

“With the assistance of Adrift guides, monument staff and the Vernal-based Classic Air Medical helicopter crew, the victim’s body was transported to the Moffat County Coroner’s Office,” the NPS statement said. “The raftman’s name is being withheld while family members are being notified.”

“Dinosaur National Monument thanks Classic, Adrift, River Runners Transport, Moffat County ACTSS (Advocates, Crisis, Trauma, and Survivor Services), and monument staff who assisted in the search and recovery efforts, and extends condolences to the family and river community affected by this incident.”