Two people drown in Arkansas River after getting ejected
from raft
By Zachary Aedo; KRDO TV Colorado Springs, CO
June 21, 2020
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- A sad Father's Day as Pueblo police
said a man and his son died after drowning in the Arkansas River on Sunday
afternoon. Pueblo firefighters and officers responded around 1:24 p.m. to the
area of 4 Reservoir Road, an area next to the Arkansas River and near the
Pueblo Reservoir. The Pueblo County Coroner identified the
victims as Ricardo Valencia Sanchez, 46, and his son, Jose Louis Valencia, 16,
of Aurora.
First responders were dispatched for a water rescue. When
they arrived, witnesses said three people -- including an adult male and a
juvenile male -- had been ejected from a raft and were trapped in a river
hydraulic.
"It's under the low head dam near City Park,"
said Capt. Bryce Boyer, of the Pueblo Fire Department. "It causes a
circulation that can pull a lot of things under the surface of the water,
circulate them around. We advise rafters to stay away from it because it can be
dangerous."
After several minutes, one passenger made it to shore but
the raft emerged from the current with the father and son entangled in the
raft's rope. Firefighters intercepted the raft less than a mile downriver and
dragged the two people to shore. Efforts to revive them were unsuccessful. The
victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Police say both were wearing
flotation vests.
