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1 dead in Saturday rafting accident near Dinosaur National Monument

Craig Press Staff
Pictured here is Triplet Falls on the Green River near Dinosaur National Monument.
National Park Service/Courtesy Photo

A body was recovered from the scene of a rafting accident in Triplet Falls Saturday afternoon on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument, according to a release from National Park Service.

Monument staff received notification via satellite text message at 12:40 pm Saturday that a boat flipped in the Green River at Triplet Falls, resulting in an unconscious and injured rafter, a 47-year-old male, part of a group that included family and friends on a commercial rafting trip.

“The rafter was underwater for about 10 minutes. CPR was performed for approximately 90 minutes,” the release stated. “Classic Air Medical arrived on the scene to assess the rafter, found him unresponsive, and declared him deceased.”



The man was later transported the victim 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.

“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 release stated. “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 at the time of the incident.”


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