A 40-year-old man was in an inflatable kayak with his 2 sons, 8 and 10 years old, when they flipped in whitewater upstream from a popular beach near Mile Marker 6 on Highway 128. Gaar Lausman, a Moab resident and former associate of Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, witnessed the accident from the beach and immediately jumped on his paddleboard to intercept the 2 struggling boys. The 10 year-old was reportedly wearing a belt-pack PFD that inflated with a C02 cartridge. That PFD had flipped the boy over so he was face down in the water. The 8 year-old was wearing a PFD that was too big and failed to keep his head above water. Lausman was able to get the 2 boys onto his paddleboard but was unable to go after the father.
At that moment, life-long Moab resident Daniel Wright just happened to be traveling upstream on his jet ski. Lausman was able to get his attention and pointed to the father who was still being swept down the river. Wright had actually passed within a few feet of the man, who was almost completely submerged at the time and virtually unnoticeable because of the substantial amount of high-water debris. Wright spun his jet ski around and reached for the man just as he went underwater again while raising his hand in desperation. Moab resident Eric Odenthal snapped the accompanying photo at that moment. The man had lost his PFD, which was in his lap when the boat flipped. All 3 were safely transported to shore. They declined offers to have an ambulance respond.
Grand County’s Emergency Services sincerely thanks Gaar Lausman and Daniel Wright for their life-saving efforts. Because of you, that family gets to go home.
GCSAR would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to wear adequate, properly-fitted, and properly-worn PFDs everywhere on the Colorado River. The river’s surface can appear deceptively calm, while violent currents just a few inches underwater can pull a swimmer down or sweep a person farther from shore. Please read more river safety tips in the comments below.
