# Another possible fatality on the Arkansas



## rwhyman (May 23, 2005)

Sad news

Denied:1up! Software


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

This is the article that was in this morning's Mountain Mail:

*Kayaker dies north of BV
*A 70-year old kayaker died Sunday afternoon in a section of Arkansas River known as the Magnificent Mile north of Buena Vista.

Volker Beer, of Tucson, Ariz., was kayaking with a friend at 11:45 a.m. about six miles north of Buena Vista, Randy Amettis, Chaffee County Coroner said.

Other details of how Beer died were not made available by Chaffee County Sheriff's Office officials. By 8 p.m., a phone message asking for information was not returned and a dispatcher said the office would issue a press release today. 

At 3:45 p.m. Sunday, river flow, which is nearing seasonal peak, was 3,270 cubic feet per second at the Granite measuring device. 

The death Sunday was the third fatality on the river in six days and was the fourth of the rafting season. 

A 61-year old Woodland Park man died Thursday when the raft in which he was a passenger hit the center pier of the F Street bridge in Salida and flipped. The man was pulled from the river about a mile downstream where rescuers began life saving efforts. 

Tuesday, a 67-year old Illinois man died when the raft in which he was riding flipped in Pinball Rapid at the north end of Browns Canyon. 

May 25, a 26-year old Kansas man died at Sledge Hammer Falls Rapid in the Royal Gorge when the raft in which he was riding overturned.


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## CUBuffskier (Jul 7, 2005)

This is sad news indeed. I put on with a crew at the railroad bridge around 10 yesterday so they were right behind us. After personally taking a beating in house rock at the end, just a reminder for everyone to be as safe as they can be. The water right now is super fun, but obviously has some huge consequences too.


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## CUBuffskier (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm pretty sure he didn't get out of the water until he was pulled out at the playpark around 2 or 2:30 yesterday. The water was surely pushy enough in the narrows to make the swim last a long long time which is very unfortunate.


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## cbrobin (Jan 21, 2004)

I am very sad to hear this. I was paddling Numbers through the Fractions with some of the Pikes Peak Boys. We had a great time. It definately takes most of that good feeling away to hear someone died.

As I sat at the bottom of five some BLM guys in truck signalled me to see if we were OK. I was thinking, " how did they know I got I bit off-line". This explains what was going on.


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## J (Nov 6, 2003)

Very sad indeed.

Does anyone else feel that they keep reading and hearing about fatalities where the victim initially got out of the water and was thought to be OK, and then fell back in/went back in the river for one reason or another?


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## cokayakn (Feb 26, 2007)

J said:


> Very sad indeed.
> 
> Does anyone else feel that they keep reading and hearing about fatalities where the victim initially got out of the water and was thought to be OK, and then fell back in/went back in the river for one reason or another?


This is common in river fatality accounts. I'm no Doc./EMT but understand that after a tough swim the combination of adrenaline, exhaustion, hypothermia mount against the body as shock sets in. It's important for folks to learn from this phenominon. After a swim stay down and concentrate on calming your heart rate. I'm sure more qualified folks could comment on other things to do...

Be safe.
chris


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## benpetri (Jul 2, 2004)

Very sad. 3 fatalities in less than 1 week. My condolences to all

Be safe out there


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## David Spiegel (Sep 26, 2007)

How many people have died on the Arkansas this year?


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## danadog (Mar 18, 2005)

David Spiegel said:


> How many people have died on the Arkansas this year?


I think we are at 4.
RIP!


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## keithkirchner (Apr 7, 2005)

*get a life*

Yes everyone, people of all activities die on rivers. It is an unfortunate truth, yet accepted risk we all take when we leave dry land. The fact that someone starts a thread about this topic before there are any facts released about the event saddens me and makes me question one's needs in life. If they were a friend of yours, you will undoubtedly hear about it soon. My condolences to those of you that do get that sad news. For the rest of you, get off the cyber-gossip wagon and get a life.


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## Snowhere (Feb 21, 2008)

*Someone needs to grow up*

No one was being disrespectful and like it or not, we live in the digital age. Be it a car crash that closes the highway, or a death on the river, it is going to make the news. This is a community of boaters that do have a interest in what goes on our beloved rivers. I can see that you are not one to be involved in this board from your very high post count of. If you were active here you would have seen how a lot of accident information is taken from this site and added to the AW log and record of river information. If changes need to be taken to how the rivers are administered, it would be as a result from this information and other factors. This applies mainly to commercials but privates can be effected too.


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## SummitAP (Jun 23, 2007)

The river community is also quite small. There is usually only one to three degrees of separation from death in this community, except when it is a tourist and then someone usually knows the guide or the rescuers.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

keithkirchner said:


> Yes everyone, people of all activities die on rivers. It is an unfortunate truth, yet accepted risk we all take when we leave dry land. The fact that someone starts a thread about this topic before there are any facts released about the event saddens me and makes me question one's needs in life. If they were a friend of yours, you will undoubtedly hear about it soon. My condolences to those of you that do get that sad news. For the rest of you, get off the cyber-gossip wagon and get a life.


It seems to me like it is very important that we know the information presented here. For example, I see that several people over the age of 60 have died recently in cold, high water swims. This is good information for me if tomorrow I have a 70 year old person that wants to be on my class 4 trip. I can cite this information when I either refuse service or try to convince them to do a milder trip. Those of us working on the river like to stay up to date on accidents/fatalities because it directly impacts the way we do are jobs and keep people as safe as we can. It's not gossip, and everyone here has a life. I hope your day gets better....


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

Randaddy said:


> It seems to me like it is very important that we know the information presented here. For example, I see that several people over the age of 60 have died recently in cold, high water swims. This is good information for me if tomorrow I have a 70 year old person that wants to be on my class 4 trip. I can cite this information when I either refuse service or try to convince them to do a milder trip. Those of us working on the river like to stay up to date on accidents/fatalities because it directly impacts the way we do are jobs and keep people as safe as we can. It's not gossip, and everyone here has a life. I hope your day gets better....


Well said. I think most of us are trying to learn and/or also express sympathy.


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## kurtmo (Apr 10, 2007)

I am an infrequent poster myself but frequent reader. The information shared when a death occurs on the river is vitally important to all of us who kayak or raft. There is no morbidity involved here. The more I can learn about the unfortuante details of a river accident the better I can prepare myself for a similar situation as well as share that info with my river brothers and sisters to assure that we are all boating as safely as we can and are mindful of the risks that may be out there.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

keithkirchner said:


> Yes everyone, people of all activities die on rivers. It is an unfortunate truth, yet accepted risk we all take when we leave dry land. The fact that someone starts a thread about this topic before there are any facts released about the event saddens me and makes me question one's needs in life. If they were a friend of yours, you will undoubtedly hear about it soon. My condolences to those of you that do get that sad news. For the rest of you, get off the cyber-gossip wagon and get a life.


Damn man, that's pretty cold. The only reason I started the thread is to try and the get the information out there that the accident happend, so that details can be shared, and hopefully learned from. Your statement is very disrespectful to more than just me, and that saddens me...


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## CUBuffskier (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm pretty sure this poor guy was out much earlier in the run, but one big tip I can give right now is don't swim at house rock. I did yesterday and it was a bitch to swim myself out (and I'm 26). If you think there's a chance you might swim don't get in the Ark right now. I feel awful for his family and friends.


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## jbarnow (Sep 10, 2007)

All the accidents this year, river related or not are very sad. Death, by nature is sad but mistakes are made so others can learn.

They say that in today's world, man's knowledge doubles every ten years. That means that everything we know from today back to the time of the caveman and before will be doubled by the year 2018. These boards and the ability to transfer and discuss these events is what is going to save people in the future. It sucks it happened, it sucks that Iraqis kill each other and that poor people exist but this is reality and the cyber world is also reality which provides lessons.

Sorry to those personal with this particular victim. Another reason to consider a swift water rescue course. It can't hurt.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Mr. Beer was no novice. I will not release any more details of the accident until the authorities choose to, but look at this UTube video, made by Mr. Beer about the changes in kayaking from the 50's to the 60's. It makes you appreciate his paddling ability.
Southern Arizona Paddlers Club Tucson, AZ


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## Snowhere (Feb 21, 2008)

Very nice history of kayaking. Rest in peace Mr. Beer, I will tip a cold one in your honor tonight.


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## andy (Oct 13, 2003)

Wow. That video is pretty amazing. 

He was a paddler from another time. No playboats, no playparks, just the river.

Thanks for posting that.


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

Wow.


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## nmalozzi (Jun 19, 2007)

That is an amazing video... RIP


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## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

If you're a kayaker, and it doesn't matter how long you've been one, it is totally worth the 5 minutes it takes to watch that video. Shows a lot of the character of the guy.


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## freexbiker (Jul 18, 2005)

Very sad. Old guy stories like that movie are always awesome


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## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

Simply amazing video, my condolences to all involved in any of these accidents.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

It's so unfortunate that this continues to happen...

*BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Man dies after raft flips in Browns Canyon
Fourth fatality in seven days on Arkansas River*

*by Christopher Kolomitz*
Mail Managing Editor

The fourth fatality in seven days on the Arkansas River occurred about 1:30 p.m. Monday in Browns Canyon north of Salida. 

Marcus Martin, 43 of Castle Pines North, was in a Wilderness Aware raft that flipped in Graveyard Rapid near the end of the Browns Canyon run, Chaffee County Sheriff Tim Walker, reported. 

After the raft flipped, attempts to get Martin onto the overturned raft were unsuccessful. However, people in a second Wilderness Aware raft traveling with the group managed to get the man into their raft, Walker said. 

Walker said while Martin was in the second raft, he complained it was difficult to breathe. 

After he was ashore at Hecla Junction boat ramp, Martin became unresponsive and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was started.

Walker said Martin was transported by Chaffee County Emergency Medical Services to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida where additional attempts were made to revive him.

Castle Pines North is located south of the Denver metro area and is a residential area. It was incorporated as a town in 2007. 

The river was running at 3,450 cubic feet per second at Hecla Junction when the incident occurred. The flow is nearing its seasonal peak. 

Last year, 294,654 people paid to raft the river, officials with Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area said. 

Sunday, a 70-year-old kayaker died in a section of Arkansas River known as the Magnificent Mile north of Buena Vista. 

A 61-year-old Woodland Park man died June 19 after the raft in which he was a passenger hit the center pier of the F Street bridge in Salida and flipped.

The man was pulled from the river about a mile downstream where rescuers began life saving efforts. 

June 15, a 67-year old Illinois man died when the raft in which he was riding flipped in Pinball Rapid at the north end of Browns Canyon. 

May 25, a 26-year old Kansas man died at Sledge Hammer Falls Rapid in the Royal Gorge when the raft in which he was riding overturned. 

Please, PLEASE be carefull. If you want to run the Arkansas, and are unsure about your high water ability (as many of us are) let me know, water travel is much safer in a group...stay safe!


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## lmaciag (Oct 10, 2003)

Thanks for posting the link to the video. What an amazing history. Condolences.

Laurie


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## BrianK (Feb 3, 2005)

That is very sad, and my condolences go out to his family and friends. I hope he had a good last day on the river. While its a tragedy I in a way envy him for dying doing something he loved his whole life rather than on some hospital bed some day. I can only hope to be kayaking high water ark trips when I am 70.


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## Kimy (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah, great video. Well worth the 4 minutes it takes to sit and watch a youtube all the way through. 
Pretty poignant considering the circumstances. 
Bump this thread up high, it woudl be a fitting tribute to Mr Beers if this vid got a lot of traffic, he would probably think it was an appropriate memorial. 
My kind thoughts to the family...
KJ


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

*From the Arizona Daily Star*



lmyers said:


> Mr. Beer was no novice. I will not release any more details of the accident until the authorities choose to, but look at this UTube video, made by Mr. Beer about the changes in kayaking from the 50's to the 60's. It makes you appreciate his paddling ability.
> Southern Arizona Paddlers Club Tucson, AZ


Beer's relatives said he was an avid triathalete and competed in many athletic competitions in Tucson. He lived on Mount Lemmon when the Aspen Fire burned down his cabin in 2003. Family members said he was not deterred and rebuilt his home from scratch. 
Family members said Beer escaped from Nazi Germany. He moved to Tucson in 1979 and became an American citizen a few years ago. 
Beer was a member of the Southern Arizona Paddler's Club, said Chip Arnberg, past president of club.
"(Beer) was kayaking before people knew how kayaking worked. He was doing it when the sport was brand-new and was very good, very competent," Arnberg said. "But there is an inherent risk in it."
He had a wife of 42 years and two sons.


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## doloresgirl (Jun 4, 2007)

What an amazing man. RIP Mr. Beer, I wish I had the privileged of knowing you. So happy for you that you passed doing what you loved so much. May we all be so fortunate when our time is up.


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## 3195 (May 12, 2005)

Just his name automatically made him awesome....Mr. Beer.


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## Jay H (May 20, 2005)

*very cool*

Wow, what an awesome video--I love that old school, pre-anything, adventure seeking ground breaking spirit! Volker is certainly a hero in my book, up there with Hudson Stuck, Sir Hilary, Warren Miller, Obermeyer, etc.! I wish I knew you...

Here's to you sir--may you your adventures never end, and may I and every boater/adventure seeker be a little more like you!


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