Ark. River rafting fatalities up

In activity that sees few deaths, 5 people perish

Tracy Harmon, The Pueblo Chieftain

Published July 16, 2007 at midnight

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LEADVILLE - An unusually high number of rafters have died on the Arkansas River this summer, with five deaths already attributed to river activity between Leadville and Cañon City.

It's a grim reminder that the river is "a natural thing; it is not Disneyland. It is difficult to control," said Stew Pappenfort, a safety ranger for the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, which oversees the rafting industry on the nation's most-rafted river.

Deaths attributed to commercial rafting outfitters are normally few in number. In 2000, there were three; in 2001, there were two; from 2002-04, there were none; and 2005 and 2006 each had just one rafting death.

Since the recreation area was formed in 1989 under the cooperative oversight of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Colorado State Parks, rafting has been regulated.

"The nature of the sport is to try harder rapids and, as with any sport, there is a risk. With rafting, there is the risk of an unplanned swim," Pappenfort explained. "The river is powerful, relentless and swimming in the river is difficult for anybody."

When rafting outfitters gear up to take visitors on the river, they ask each one to fill out a release from liability form. On the form, visitors are asked to disclose medical conditions and their experience on the river. Based on each person's response, the outfitters recommend a section of the river that is the best match for the visitor.

Pappenfort and his crew of river rangers work as diligently as they can to ensure the rafting companies are abiding by state safety regulations. River rangers also patrol the river and work to clear river hazards (from cars to branches), plus investigate every accident on the river.

"When we investigate an accident, we want to ensure no violation of Colorado law occurred. We don't try to analyze what could have or should have happened; we just document what did happen, then lastly analyze what we learned and what we can do in the future to avoid similar accidents," Pappenfort explained.

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