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It's so unfortunate that this continues to happen...
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Man dies after raft flips in Browns Canyon
Fourth fatality in seven days on Arkansas River
by Christopher Kolomitz
Mail Managing Editor
The fourth fatality in seven days on the Arkansas River occurred about 1:30 p.m. Monday in Browns Canyon north of Salida.
Marcus Martin, 43 of Castle Pines North, was in a Wilderness Aware raft that flipped in Graveyard Rapid near the end of the Browns Canyon run, Chaffee County Sheriff Tim Walker, reported.
After the raft flipped, attempts to get Martin onto the overturned raft were unsuccessful. However, people in a second Wilderness Aware raft traveling with the group managed to get the man into their raft, Walker said.
Walker said while Martin was in the second raft, he complained it was difficult to breathe.
After he was ashore at Hecla Junction boat ramp, Martin became unresponsive and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was started.
Walker said Martin was transported by Chaffee County Emergency Medical Services to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida where additional attempts were made to revive him.
Castle Pines North is located south of the Denver metro area and is a residential area. It was incorporated as a town in 2007.
The river was running at 3,450 cubic feet per second at Hecla Junction when the incident occurred. The flow is nearing its seasonal peak.
Last year, 294,654 people paid to raft the river, officials with Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area said.
Sunday, a 70-year-old kayaker died in a section of Arkansas River known as the Magnificent Mile north of Buena Vista.
A 61-year-old Woodland Park man died June 19 after the raft in which he was a passenger hit the center pier of the F Street bridge in Salida and flipped.
The man was pulled from the river about a mile downstream where rescuers began life saving efforts.
June 15, a 67-year old Illinois man died when the raft in which he was riding flipped in Pinball Rapid at the north end of Browns Canyon.
May 25, a 26-year old Kansas man died at Sledge Hammer Falls Rapid in the Royal Gorge when the raft in which he was riding overturned.
Please, PLEASE be carefull. If you want to run the Arkansas, and are unsure about your high water ability (as many of us are) let me know, water travel is much safer in a group...stay safe!
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