# Trouble on Clear Creek



## shredder-scott (May 21, 2013)

Hey fellow Buzzards

Flight for life was used today on Clear Creek. I saw the chopper land,.

River scuttlebut gossip is a commercial guest went for a swim at Outerlimits and was pulled out unconscious near powerline. Thats a LONG SWIM.

I am sure more accurate details will be forthcomming

Paddle on


Shredder scott


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## riojedi (May 23, 2005)

No real details on the aforementioned accident. Thoughts are with the victim and some boating buddies from way back.

I wanted to thank Scott for once again being in the right place at the right time. Thanks for looking out for the All Ameri-twins (and getting my boat back).

Jed


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## shredder-scott (May 21, 2013)

Two Rescued From Rivers After Rafting Accidents « CBS Denver

not much in the way of details BUT the victim is alive, thank goodness


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## PattyNYCO (Mar 21, 2005)

Actually, we heard the girl on Clear Creek yesterday did not make it. Only rumor at this point - not confirmed.


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

Jeffco cops came hauling ass up to the dam takeout spot on clear creek last night as we were getting off the river. Apparently some lady called up 911 or local dispact to report "some assholes are kayaking on clear creek and the creek is closed". Officer verified that A-hole was the term used and that the lady was really angry. Officer wanted to write us tickets for kayaking and was grilling us on whether we knew the rules of the creek closure. We informed him that law enforecment typically can ban single chamber inflatables (ie tubes and walmart rafts), but not kayaks at high water, and that this has already been figured out. The officer did not personally understand the difference between single chamber ban and kayaks until we explained, and he had to radio in to HQ to confirm. After confirming that we were good to go, the officer was nice and friendly and went on his way.

Lesson here... that many already know... if that if the PO PO shows up, know your rights and stand up for them in a personable and non-confrontational manner. 

Clear creek is brown and muddy and running huge. Love it! Be safe out there...


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## wheretheriverflows (Mar 4, 2010)

Thanks for the updates and comments Scott, Jed and Ian. Keep the dirty side down out there and enjoy the big water.


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## whitewater_fishin (Mar 28, 2012)

Any update on this incident? I haven't seen any reports...


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


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## HysideB0y (May 29, 2014)

Another death today. I'm on the swift water rescue team for one of the departments that responded for 2 in the water. On our way we were dispatched that one was rescued and the other was going to be a body recovery. We were stood down not more than 5 minutes later that the victim was recovered. It was a 41 yo male on a raft trip with his family with Highside Adventures. You can read more here:

http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2014/06/07/one-dead-after-accident-on-clear-creek/10176627/

Be safe out there... It's really quite dangerous.


Sent from my iPad using Mountain Buzz


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## powdahound76 (Jul 20, 2006)

So.... The party the was FFLed out of IS is reported to me by a very reliable source to have swam in Phoenix and was pulled out near the Starbucks near the east end of IS. Will see if I can get an update that I can post later today.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

That is a long swim. I hope she's alright.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

GoPro footage of Clear Creek River Rafting Accident on 6-7-14 - YouTube

Is this the same incident? Skip to 5:00 to see the initial flip. I'm no rafter, but I can't figure out why that boat went into the bridge support. Was the guide just not paying attention or what?

Also, this appears to be somewhere below Kermits, no?


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

Painful to watch, thoughts and prayers go out to the family.


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## whitewater_fishin (Mar 28, 2012)

so i believe there were 2 incidents on CC last week. the fatality on the 7th, and then the life flight on the 5th. The life flight was reported as occurring, but i haven't heard anything about the condition of the individual. Seems really odd.


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## HysideB0y (May 29, 2014)

mjpowhound said:


> GoPro footage of Clear Creek River Rafting Accident on 6-7-14 - YouTube
> 
> Is this the same incident? Skip to 5:00 to see the initial flip. I'm no rafter, but I can't figure out why that boat went into the bridge support. Was the guide just not paying attention or what?
> 
> Also, this appears to be somewhere below Kermits, no?


Yeah... that looks like that is it. Its consistent with what I was informed of that a raft flipped in front. Yes... it was just past Kermits around bridge 6.


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## whitewater_fishin (Mar 28, 2012)

To clarify this post was originally about an incident prior to the saturday fatality. The video appears to be from saturday, correct?

Does anyone have information on that original incident?


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## BoaterX (Feb 23, 2013)

mjpowhound said:


> GoPro footage of Clear Creek River Rafting Accident on 6-7-14 - YouTube
> 
> Is this the same incident? Skip to 5:00 to see the initial flip. I'm no rafter, but I can't figure out why that boat went into the bridge support. Was the guide just not paying attention or what?
> 
> Also, this appears to be somewhere below Kermits, no?


Looks to me like the guide pointed at the bridge and gave an "All back" command to back away and they crew was not getting it done. At one point the guy looked at the camera and was smiling, probebly looking at each other smiliing instead of paddling. You can even see the guide earlier in the video instructing one of his paddlers and seemed frustraed. Im assuming he hit the bridge with his bow to "T" it up instead of hitting it sideways. All in all a bad situation, although I do not think the rafter that died was in the boat. The news comment I read said the raft in front of them flipped. I am assuming the boat that passed them after they were on shore was the raft carrying the gentleman that passed. Horrible situation, stay safe out there!


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Looked to me like the guide picked a shit angle and was using a back ferry just for shits and giggles and got caught out on both. They were in flat water he should have been able to make that move by himself without calling any commands.


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## ajariverrat (Jul 17, 2009)

Glenn, this thread is not about bashing this guide. Obviously, you have never had someone die on one of your raft trips. Do you know how much guilt this guide is probably dealing with??? Then he gets to see your post calling him a shitty guide. Also, if you had ever paddled Clear Creek you would know that there is no "flat water".


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## adgeiser (May 26, 2009)

while i'm not defending calling the guide out, that was very much a flat water stretch... especially by Clear creek standards. 
Crap happens, especially at high water. Water is moving so much faster than MOST people are used to on these rivers and creeks, small mistakes become big.
My condolences go out to the family and friends of all of the victims this year. And the guides involved.




BTW; glenn is familiar with CC.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

While I can empathize with the guide he's not the victim. I have little interest in ignoring the obvious facts of a video we all have access to in order to protect the feelings of someone who kicked off an incident requiring a rescue that resulted in a death. If this is the wrong thread to have that discussion ask a mod to move it to a new discussion along with the video and the other comment wrongfully blaming the customers. All guests deserve better. They place a massive amount of trust in the guides to avoid basic scenarios like this one from ever happening.


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## bobblehead (Jun 26, 2007)

*observation from Saturdays accident*

Hey all,

I was surprised to see the gopro footage of the accident, and it was a bit haunting. I came upon the accident Saturday just as the first responder arrived. Having been on SAR, I knew by the look in his eyes that things were not good. To clarify, this was just above the junction of 119 and 6. I jumped out of my car and ran to help. There were three people on the scene: one rescuer and two bystanders pointing. I quickly realized they were pointing at the an individual, unconscious, floating face down in an eddy just on the opposite shore. A quick assessment of his position told me two things: he wasn't going to be in the eddy long, and by the way he was floating, he did not have a jacket on. 

I yelled at the rescuer that I would grab my vest and a bag and I could have my kayak off m car and in the water in 30 seconds. As I was running back to my car, numerous rescue vehicles arrived. I was essentially asked to stand down.

At this point an interesting thing occurred...I witnessed an unbuckled life jacket float by. I had assumed that if he had floated down through double knife, etc, it was possible his jacket was stripped. Seeing the jacket float by unbuckled was alarming.

Ok, so I know from experience how hard there men and women work and the burden they shoulder from their daily experiences. That said, it was hard to sit idly by why the group mobilized donning wetsuits, helmets, riverboards etc, when a quick tethered swim would have got someone to the victim. I kept saying they were going to lose him out of the eddy at any minute, which indeed occur. Again, this is NOT a criticism of the crew, just an observation. As the crews quickly jumped back in vehicles to head downstream, I noticed two trip clients (blue jacket, yellow helmet, wetsuit) on the other side of the road clutching each other crying. No-one was tending to them, so I rushed over to check on them. It is now that I have trouble typing this...the young girl (14-15yo.) collapsed into my arms screaming "it's my dad!" over and over....her mom couldn't speak. I have two daughters, and this was heartbreaking.

Through her tears, she told me he had floated so far, and she had seen him take his jacket off...I don't know what to make of it, so if someone has more info on how he ended up without his jacket, please let me know. I wonder if he was in a boat that pulled over, chose to take his jacket off, and somehow fell in.

In any case, this family never expected to lose their father and husband that day, and it is truly heartbreaking. I do have a very practical question however. Given the number of boats, and the high water, don't most of the CC companies utilize rescue boaters? I did not see any in the video footage, and in this case suspect it may have made a difference. 

Certainly, there is no way to mitigate all of the risk...rivers can be dangerous. What we can do is be prepared to deal with emergencies when they arise, and take precautions to minimize danger. Not meant to be a sermon, but it has weighed heavy on me all week. cheers, and be safe.


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## gannon_w (Jun 27, 2006)

Bobblehead...That's a tough situation being told to stand down. Yes for liability reasons and such but it sounds like you knew you could get to him much more quickly in a situation where seconds count...I would have gone anyway and probably have gotten ticketed, but still gone.

Not criticizing you but the situation where rescue turns down a perfectly good chance to help for some stupid liability reason.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

SAR operates with a large safety margin and assumes any bystanders are potential victims. A conservative approach that keeps themselves safe and reduces the risk of additional rescues being needed. It does not offer the victim the best chance though. SAR has a broad set of skills and WE are the experts in the water. I would have taken the ticket personally. Although given the situation it's hard to say if getting to him sooner would have made a difference. Terrible scene, particularly for the Wife and Daughter to have to see unfold.


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## gannon_w (Jun 27, 2006)

Correct Glenn!


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## bobblehead (Jun 26, 2007)

Glen,
totally agreed. It was a tough call. I wasn't worried about protocol in the slightest...I had made a decision to go in the water regardless of the consequences when the rest of the first responders arrived. I assumed that it would be a very quick mobilization, and to their credit, they were hustling for sure, but as you point out, there is a process that's followed to protect the rescuers. After about 60 seconds of observing what I expected to be a lengthy prep, I decided to go for my vest and hit the water. That's the point at which he flushed out of the eddy. After seeing my share of bad situations, I reflect and realize it would not have likely made a difference at that point, but it's something I do consider.

To be clear, my post wasn't meant to criticize the rescue crew. They are a great bunch that have to deal with challenging situations and rapidly changing circumstances. Glen, great point about skill sets. If anything good emerges from me sharing this story, is for everyone to recognize the contribution you can make in any emergency situation. NEVER sit by passively. There is always something you can do to help. In this situation, I was actually much more upset that the daughter and wife werent being looked after. Thankfully a passerby stopped and picked them up to take them further down river.


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

Hey Bobblehead, sorry you had to go through this too. I have been interested in swiftwater rescue, but I don't know if I could handle the emotional toll that it takes on days like this one. You obviously served an important role to that girl, and I wouldn't 2nd guess any decision you made. It is pretty heart breaking, and I'll store away the information I can learn from, but most importantly, I'll hold my kids a little tighter tonight, thankful I get to, in honor of this Dad.


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Tough day on the river. lives changed forever.

As a former cop I can say that often people want to jump in and help but in the press of the moment the automatic response is to have them stand back. The last thing we want is to complicate a situation because a well meaning but unqualified observer jumps in and ends up becoming part of the problem.

It's happened to me that bystanders have jumped in and both kept an ugly situation from getting uglier, and in another situation probably ended up causing a death.

You cannot beat yourself up with this; you helped as best you could. Be sure that the SAR folks who told you to stand down are wondering what might have been if only.....

And to the guide that day; a hard lesson about rivers and safety
And to the company; a hard lesson about rivers and safety


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## powdahound76 (Jul 20, 2006)

Tough to see and feel helpless. I know the Clear Creek swiftwater team well. When we can be quick to criticize in a situation that didnt turn out well, dont forget, an amazing save just 2 days prior by members of the same team, pretty much same scenario, except a longer swim. CC county was my home for 10 years and the river I learned to paddle on. I am amazed by the apparent lack of safety kayakers. We ran Lawson/Dumont as an R4 crew at 900 when it was on the way up, and for 3 rafts one company had 4 kayakers. The other company putting on behind us at 2 for 2 rafts of customers. Also have seen when it isnt busy with all the boats out running, another guide opposite the main guide in the rear. Watched one set up a quick rescue while the main guide was busy commanding the crew and controlling the boat safely. Things these companies might need to think about at such high water on CC. A couple of times when scouting with boaters new to CC, I have even bailed out shore safety for companies when they werent paying attention or freaked out when bad flips happened.

Tough lessons and hard to watch as a bystander. Make sure you take care of yourself after this. I will never forget how long it took me to deal with my first fatal MVA. A teenage kid out of first aid class, headed into a career in EMS and nursing. 17 years later, I still have to go back to square one to properly cope as some of them hit closer and affect us differently.


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