1 dead in Saturday rafting accident near Dinosaur National
Monument
Steamboat Pilot | July 7, 2019
Clay Thorp, Craig Press
CRAIG —
A body was recovered Saturday afternoon from the scene of a rafting accident in
Triplet Falls on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument.
Monument staff
received notification via satellite text message at 12:40 p.m. Saturday that a
boat flipped in the Green River at Triplet Falls, resulting in an unconscious
and injured 47-year-old male, who was part of a commercial rafting trip that
included family and friends.
“The rafter was
underwater for about 10 minutes. CPR was performed for approximately 90
minutes,” a news release from the National Park Service stated. “Classic Air
Medical arrived on the scene to assess the rafter, found him unresponsive and
declared him deceased. The man was later transported by helicopter to the
Ashley Regional Medical Center in Vernal, Utah.
“National Park Service staff, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and
Moffat County Sheriff’s Office were in the process of launching a rescue effort
by raft from the Gates of Lodore when Classic Air Medical arrived at Triplet
Falls and found the rafter deceased,” the release stated. The identity of the
rafter has not yet been released.
Rafting
accident on Green River in Dinosaur National Monument leaves one man dead
By GEORGE TANNER The Denver Post
July
6, 2019
The body of a California man has been recovered after a rafting accident in
Dinosaur National Monument. The 47-year-old was part of a group that included
family and friends on a commercial rafting trip, according to the National Park
Service.
Officials at the national monument received a text message about
12:40 p.m. Saturday that a boat flipped at Triplet Falls on the Green River,
leaving a man unconscious. The rafter was underwater for about 10 minutes,
park officials said. CPR was performed, but the man was declared dead at the
scene. Officials said his body was flown to Ashley Regional Medical Center in
Vernal, Utah.
The
park said in a news release that Triplet Falls has a Class III difficulty
rating and is in a remote portion of the park, about 12 river miles from the
monument’s northern boundary near Gates of Lodore. The area is surrounded by
canyon walls rising 1,200 feet and higher above the river. There is no
cellphone service. River flow was approximately 2,350 cubic feet per second.
Man who died in Dinosaur National
Monument rafting accident identified
Anthony Vasi, 47, died Saturday or a rafting trip on the Green River
July
7, 2019 at 8:13 pmThe man who died Saturday in a rafting
accident on the Green River has been identified as Anthony Vasi
of Newport Beach, Calif. Vasi, 47, was on a commercial rafting trip with family
and friends Saturday in Dinosaur National Monument. Around noon at Triplet
Falls, the raft that he was on became stuck on a feature known as “the Birth
Canal” and Vasi and several other passengers fell into the water, according to
a news release from the national monument.
Attempts to pull Vasi out were unsuccessful, and he became
unresponsive when a rescue swimmer moved him from behind the rock into the main
current, the news release said. Another boat assisted in moving Vasi onto a
gravel bar downstream of the rapid, where he was given CPR.
At 1:30 p.m., a helicopter flight crew from Classical Air Medical
arrived. They pronounced Vasi dead at the scene, and took his body to the
Ashley Religion Medical Center in Vernal, Utah.
Rangers from Dinosaur National Monument arrived to assist the rest
of the group and conduct an investigation into the accident.
Triplet
Falls has a Class III difficulty rating and is in a remote portion of the
monument that does not have cell service. At the time of the incident the river
flow was approximately 2,350 feet per second, according to the news release.
Vasi is at least the 17th person to die or go missing in a
Colorado waterway this spring. High snowmelt has made rivers and stream
especially dangerous this year, and state officials are urging people to use
caution when going in the water.
Rafting Fatality on Green River in Dinosaur National Monument Ruled a Drowning
Dinosaur, Colorado and Jensen, Utah – A rafting accident in Triplet Falls on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument on Saturday, July 6, 2019 resulted in the death of Anthony Vasi, 47, from Newport Beach, California. The Moffat Country Coroner’s office has concluded that the cause of death was drowning. Vasi was part of a group that included family and friends on a commercial rafting trip led by Adrift Adventures, an authorized commercial outfitter based out of Jensen, Utah.
Dinosaur National Monument received notification via satellite text message at 12:40 pm on Saturday, July 6 of a boating accident on the Green River at Triplet Falls. Initial reports were that a raft flipped and an adult male was unconscious. Search and Rescue response was coordinated among staff from Dinosaur National Monument, Classic Air Medical, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Moffat County Sheriff's Office.
At approximately 12:15 pm on July 6th a commercial raft entered a feature in the rapids at Triplet Falls known as "the Birth Canal" and became stuck on one of the rocks. Several passengers, including Vasi, were ejected into the water. Vasi was responsive while trapped in the water, but initial attempts to pull him out were unsuccessful. He became unresponsive when being moved from behind the rock into the main current by a rescue swimmer. Another boat assisted with moving Vasi onto a gravel bar downstream of the rapid, where CPR was immediately initiated. Members of the rafting trip continued to provide CPR until care was transitioned to the helicopter flight crew of Classic Air Medical, who arrived on the scene at 1:30 pm and declared Vasi deceased.
Classic Air Medical transported Vasi by helicopter to the Ashley Regional Medical Center in Vernal, Utah on Saturday afternoon. At the same time, Dinosaur National Monument rangers traveled by raft to the scene of the incident to conduct an investigation and assist the rest of the group in reaching Echo Park, where they exited the river on Sunday around noon.
Triplet Falls, which has a Class III difficulty rating, is located along the Green River in a remote portion of Dinosaur National Monument about 12 river miles from the monument’s northern boundary near Gates of Lodore. The area is surrounded by steep canyon walls rising 1,200 feet and higher above the river. There is no cell service in that portion of the monument. River flow was approximately 2,350 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the time of the incident.
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Dinosaur National Monument
4545 Highway 40
Dinosaur, Colorado 81610
July 9, 2019
(435) 781-7701 office or (970) 629-8488 mobile
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DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT NEWS RELEASE
