The boat was a small cataraft with rotomoulded pontoons.
There is a WW park at this locationwith a feature that was poorly executed and rushed to apply for recreational water rights. At high water it becomes a terrifying hole. This is not the first drowning there. There have been multiple resulting from unprepared rafters floating into the park features. The rest of the river is class 2-3 so people often do not expect the giant hole. Sounds like a flush drowning but I’m not sure.
Carbondale man dead following weekend rafting incident
June 10, 2024
Staff Report, aspentimes.com
A 74-year-old male died after his boat capsized near the Basalt Whitewater Park on the Roaring Fork River around 2 p.m. on June 8. Vilis J. “Butch” Zigurs, a Carbondale resident, was transported to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead at 3:25 p.m., according to a Sunday night release from the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office. The cause and manner of death are pending results of the post-mortem examination, the release states.
A June 8 press release from the Sheriff’s office states the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a 911 call at 2:05 p.m. for a swift water incident near the Basalt Whitewater Park on the Roaring Fork River. The reporting party stated two boats capsized.
Personnel from Roaring Fork Fire and Rescue, Aspen Fire Department, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Basalt Police Department, Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Pitkin County Open Space, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded, according to the press release.
Rescue crews searched the Roaring Fork River from the 7-Eleven bridge to Willits Lane. The rafters were spotted and pulled from the river near the intersection of West Two Rivers Road and Colorado State Highway 82. One rafter, a 61-year-old male, was treated on scene for minor injuries. This second rafter, a 74-year-old male identified as Zigurs, was transported to Valley View Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the press release.
