Attempts at resuscitation by first responders on the scene are unsuccessful

June 6, 2019

Randy Wyrick

rwyrick@vaildaily.com

AVON — A Russian man died in a Vail Valley rafting accident near EagleVail Thursday afternoon.

Nikolay Pezhemskiy, 29, was one of five young men who started down the Eagle River in EagleVail on a crystal clear Thursday afternoon.

Not far into the group’s trip downriver, they hit a tall wave and a hole on the other side. The raft flipped and all five were thrown into the raging river. Four managed to scramble up the bank and safety. Pezhemskiy did not. The fast water swept him away. One of the four managed to run to the EagleVail golf course to get help. He found some golfers who called 911.

That emergency call came in around 1:10 p.m., reporting that a raft had flipped in the Eagle River, and that one of the boaters was missing. Emergency crews responded in moments, scouring the area for Pezhemskiy. They found him in the river near the Eaglebend apartments.

Emergency workers immediately began administering CPR at a spot between the river and the pool gates of the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa. Onlookers watched from the pool area and Avon’s Bob the Bridge.However, attempts to resuscitate Pezhemskiy were unsuccessful.

As first responders and others tried to resuscitate Pezhemskiy, his four friends gathered on a grassy spot, under the shade of a spruce tree and out of the sun. They stared toward the river as they spoke quietly with Avon police and Eagle County Sheriff’s deputies who were trying to get a handle on what happened. When they were done with that, they stayed together on that grassy spot.

Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis identified Pezhemskiy late Thursday night, after his family in Russia had been notified.

The five men were on a private trip. There were all in their 20s and 30s and were properly geared up with personal flotation devices, helmets and drysuits.

Although it was rumored that the accident happened at a wave that local boaters dubbed Bob Senior near Avon’s Bob the Bridge, that’s not the case, law enforcement officials said. The accident happened east of the bridge, upriver from Avon, they said.

The wave called Bob Senior was altered and enlarged during the winter. The Eagle River is running hard through that area. That, and the location of first responders around Avon’s Westin Resort, led some to conjecture that the Bob Senior wave might have been a part of the deadly equation.

Cole Bangert with Sage Outdoor Adventures urged caution on the river.

“People have been running it, but you have to run it well. Scout it, pick your line, and run it,” Bangert said.

Rivers and creeks throughout Eagle County are not expected to peak until next week.

Flipped raft leads to joint rescue operation led by Eagle County Sheriff's Office

June 6, 2019

Summit Daily, Vail, CO

Nate Peterson / Vail Daily

AVON — A rafting accident near EagleVail left one man dead Thursday afternoon.

Emergency crews responded to calls around 1:10 p.m. that a raft had flipped in the Eagle River. The raft hit a high wave and then a hole on the other side. It flipped and threw all five men into the river.

Four of the five men in the raft managed to scramble to the river bank and safety. One ran to find some golfers on the EagleVail golf course who called 911. 

The unaccounted person was located floating near the Eaglebend Apartments in Avon, Colo.

Several agencies worked diligently to implement a river rescue. Once the individual was pulled from the water CPR was started immediately. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, however the resuscitations efforts were unsuccessful.

The identity of the victim is not being released at this time pending next of kin notifications.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.