River Drowning · July 19, 2008
Accident Report for Pueblo Whitewater Park
Arkansas River · Pueblo Whitewater Park · Class II to IV
Accident Details
- Number of people injured
- 1
- Number of fatalities
- 1
- Number of people involved (or in party)
- 1
- Accident date
- July 19, 2008
- Accident type
- River Drowning
- Coordinates
- —
- Was search and rescue called or needed?
- No
- Did this accident involve a commercial outfitter or guide?
- No
- Water flow at the time of the accident
- —
Accident Description
A daylong search of the Arkansas River failed to turn up a 31-year-old man who fell in early Friday at the Pueblo Whitewater Park.
Rescue crews scoured about five miles of the debris-filled river east of the Union Avenue bridge for Ryan Baker.
By day's end, and with no sign of Baker, rescue efforts changed to a recovery mission.
"After a two-hour window it pretty much turns into a recovery mission," said Woody Percival, a spokesman for the Pueblo Fire Department, which oversaw the mission.
Baker fell into the river about midnight. Family members Immanuel Sherill, 19, and Anthony McCullough, 20, were with Baker at the time and searched for him after he disappeared into the water. When they couldn't find him they called police.
The three had been on the river in a wading pool when Baker decided to walk out onto some rocks, where he lost his balance and fell, the report said.
Raft rescue crews searched the river until about 3:30 a.m., when the mission was suspended due to darkness and safety issues. The rescue mission resumed about 7 a.m. and lasted until about 4:30 p.m., when rain and lightning forced organizers to call it a day.