A man who was pulled unconscious from Clear Creek after he was thrown from a tube in the turbulent water has died.
On Tuesday four people tubing on the creek were tossed into the water near Tunnel One. A woman clinging to a rock was rescued by emergency responders and taken to a local hospital, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Two men got out of the cold, fast water on their own.
At an afternoon press conference on Wednesday along Clear Creek in Golden, officials stressed that people using the creek for water recreation should comply with water rules, be prepared with proper equipment, and have conversations about safety before getting in the water.
Through the city, Clear Creek is engineered for recreation. Emergency responders are nearby, there is a fire house along the creek, and park rangers and volunteers keep an eye on the water and monitor conditions.
West of Golden, in Clear Creek Canyon where Tuesday’s incident unfolded, tubing is prohibited.
“The canyon is dicey, it’s wonderful and beautiful, but you’ve got to take the canyon and the river seriously,” said Mary Ann Bonnell, of Jefferson County Open Space visitor services and natural resources.
Tubing is not allowed on Clear Creek west of Grant Terry Ridge. “It’s different in the canyon, further west the canyon narrows and that stretch of the river becomes much more dangerous,” Bonnell said.
On Tuesday near Tunnel One, three young men pulled the unconscious man from the water and performed CPR while emergency responders were racing up the canyon to the scene, said Golden Deputy Fire Chief Kasey Beal. The tuber was taken to a local hospital where he died.
A swift water rescue member of the Arvada Fire Protection District, who was tethered with a safety line to other crew members, went into the creek and rescued the woman who was tired, wet and cold, clinging to a rock surrounded by rushing water, Beal said.
“Please use extreme caution” in Clear Creek Canyon along U.S. 6, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday on Twitter. “The river is still dangerous and river hazards are plentiful.”
The man was not identified on Wednesday. Further details on the woman’s condition were not available.
On Saturday, a woman died in the canyon when she fell out of a raft on a section of the creek also near Tunnel One, according to the sheriff’s office.
Two deaths on the creek in a four-day period is unusual, officials said.
“Any loss of life is unacceptable,” Beal said.
“People need to pay attention and understand their limits,” Bonnell added.
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