GoPro footage of Clear Creek River Rafting Accident on 6-7-14

[@woofna1948]

What an easily avoidable mess. Class one river at that point, with one easily-avoided bridge support and the guide managed to nail it. And yes, this video does illustrate that whitewater rafting isn't the same as an amusement park ride.

[@Weekbrownies]

What exactly happened? Did someone get trapped under the raft or something?

[@berrycrawford5579]

@@Weekbrownies All the rafter got thrown out of the raft when it wrapped on the bridge

[@anul6801]

That water flow/current looks stronger Than class 1.

[@frankohrt3347]

@@anul6801 It isn't the speed of the current. It's the necessity particular moves in a rapid. Like, don't hit the bridge support! Not that hard.

[@steelemedia]

Because it’s a man made channel. There are no eddies on the side or natural breaks. Swimmers have nothing to grab on to. They just keep swimming. They have to self rescue. It’s class 2

[@GavinRieser]

It's not easy to tell from the video, but it looks like the guide made a huge rookie mistake. It was a bridge pillar in the center of the river. choose a dam side.

[@SumpinWong]

Gavin Rieser Both people in the front were back paddling... hence, not lateral movement. No one was steering prior to hitting the bridge abutment

[@TimothyCathcart]

yes.. but it made for a great video.. LOL.

[@darrentrapp6990]

It's definitely not the paddlers fault. Check out the lead boat; the guide doesn't call any paddle strokes whatsoever and manages just fine. This is 100% guide error.

[@GavinRieser]

I mean worst case t into it so that doesn't happen... which is exactly what a rookie guide would not know to do. I stand by my original statement.

[@TonySeagle]

Agreed. Did you notice how far right the first raft was compared to their's. He set them up for the fail.

[@MrFg1980]

Guided for 20 years. As it turns out, 'ya gotta' look ahead when backing up... Well, that's a wrap !

[@journeybrook9357]

The best filmed rafting video. Feels like the days of floating on blown up air ( raft) for real.

[@PLBOWERS1]

you havent seen many rafting vid's then cause this 1 was boring and dumb

[@ChadEAult]

Couple things. As a guide for over twenty years what I always do is get a good gauge of how strong my paddlers are, forward or back. If you know the river well, you will know when you will need them the most. So well before you get to this point you practice and if they are not giving you what you need you show them how it is done. What I saw here is typical of how customers paddle, they use their arms not their whole body weight. That being said, a simple draw stroke from the guide should have brought his stern side back towards the right side of the river. He was calling backs before hand to give him space between him and the head boat. Looks like he could have not called so many strokes to do the same thing but his commands seemed on point. Even calling a high side. Only problem there was the boat might have wrapped. It seems to be a situation that could have been avoided by spinning away from the obstruction. Terrible to hear someone died on this trip. You can never underestimate the power of water and as guides we are there to get you down safe. Many times you don’t need your customers for much, but when you do, they need to give their all for no more than thirty seconds. For me it is all in the instruction, weight distribution, timing, and my observations. If one customer is stopping before the others, throwing my angles off. I let them know or compensate. Worst paddlers are moved back by me. Next move is to let them know the dangers of not working equally and at full strength. Last move is to walk someone out. Either way, a guide should be able to get any group down safely. Accidents due happen. But this could have been avoided.

[@audioeeze8396]

I totally agree. From the beginning of the video I was wondering why the guy on the right wasn't paddling when he should have been.

[@dkn2128]

As a 20+ yr guide, I was going to say the same thing you said. From the beginning of the video I thought his customers were terrible paddlers, no wonder they got in a mess. Then I saw what happened and would have cloned your comment. Great comment. Very avoidable!

[@davidroberts5577]

Having guided on the Colorado for years , I absolutely agree with you.

[@truthoverall3893]

Just went whitewater rafting on this creak, the harder section. Our guide was good at teaching us the timing, full body stroke for paddling, motivating us, calling out what to do, etc. We still almost went in, twice, though. The other couple with us would barely paddle, paddle wide, at their own pace, or in his wife's case, literally paddle the air. Our guide never said anything to them, I believe, so he wouldn't jeopardize his precious 5 star review he kept going on about.

[@ChadEAult]

@@truthoverall3893 Ha! I really don’t care about reviews. It’s about safety. You will never be able to please everybody but you always have to be safe. And 9 out of 10 times people can’t paddle to save their lives. And forget back paddling. Literally the easiest stroke yet no one can figure it out. And you show them how. It really baffles my mind. I tell people, my life is in this boat too. We need to paddle. I can do a lot, but sometimes I need a little help getting where I want to go. I believe it’s just like people who instead hike the Grand Canyon they ride mules. The people who ride really shouldn’t go, but they do because they think someone else is doing all the work. If you have a well seasoned guide, it not much paddling but when he asks for, he needs it.

[@CursiveDragon]

Go to 5:15 to see the accident.

[@JunkEdits2]

Thank you

[@ironc5194]

The real MVP

[@damienthomas8541]

U FTW

[@crabpeople5600]

I'm guessing that bridge pillar is named after that guide now. Wow

[@JEEDUHCHRI]

Yeah “Dummy’s Bridge”.

[@josephastier7421]

"Don't be that guy" pillar.

[@pjones21]

Former guide here. So many errors, but worst was that the guide did not know the river well enough. No it isn't an E ride at Disney, the responsibility is on the guide to be able to handle the raft at any cfs. After over a decade of guiding the worst injury on any trip I was part of was when a rafter scratched his watch tripping getting on the bus at the end. This guide had no business on any trip.

[@steveperreira5850]

Thanks for calling it as it is. Obviously the guy did not understand anything about the physics of water flow. He was just a loudmouth. What an idiot. I’m not a rafter at all, but I think people should understand more about the physical world we live in before becoming a loudmouth guide. Clown of clowns… Death and destruction for no reason

[@sbwew]

Ya gotta be a real old fart, like me, to even know what an E ticket refers to.

[@SegoMan]

The state of Colo paid good money for that obstacle enjoy it!

[@Brotha00]

🏆

[@Haphagurd]

San Juan Utah has a raft still stuck in that same kind of spot. Left there as a reminder BE SAFE!!!

[@theykenlaw4351]

I am confused why the guide was having the boat back-paddle coming into the pier. Had he just gone all forward and aimed a bit to the right that was 100% avoidable. Having said that, this is not an atypical event. On a river on which I once guided (class III) there were piers in the water and people hit them all the time (granted no guide is in the raft). The boat high sides and people go for a swim. Not a big deal at all, now if the boat wraps, the guide gets to spend the next few hours practicing his Z-drag.

[@adamatch9624]

Well he did call forward they didn’t listen. It’s a shit situation with multiple factors that all together cussed it.

[@capt_mersh6073]

At no point before the bridge did he call forward. 4:55 he calls 'All back'... followed by repeated 'Keep goin, keep goin..... keep goin, HARDER THAN THAT C'MON.... HIGHSIDE LEFT HIGHSIDE LEFT

[@xwen21781]

At 4:51 boat at the front already moved to the right side and those on the left side idle doing nothing to avoid boat moved back to the centre. It is avoidable.

[@mikehunt9002]

to me, it looks like he was trying to give the trip leader space but had no idea what he was doing. he had so much time to follow the tl's line, but didnt. Another thing that indicates that he was new to the river was calling all foward or all back, when one foward, two back etc would have sufficed. This is a tragedy, but he had so much time to decide. it seems he panicked.

[@mountain_ginger]

Mike Hunt I noticed that as well. Kept calling a lot of forward calls that kept getting the to close to the lead boat. Never enough boat angle either.

[@billytheskid1877]

Mike Hunt! Hahahaha

[@adamdorsey3294]

while they were paddling back guide kept saying "keep going". I don't know if that is a normal command for raft guides, but "keep going" could mean, keep paddling backwards, and it could mean go forward. Not sure which one he meant for them to be doing.

[@melihbeygi6185]

I was a guide for 10 years, thats the guides fault. did not react earlier.

[@darrentrapp6990]

Exactly. Super rookie mistake.

[@lambjack1]

Duh Ya think?

[@lambjack1]

@@Aliciadoriety Yes whatever that means friend.

[@chmith27]

thanks captain O!

[@brandoncrusen9160]

The guy wearing the camera is a terrible paddler. Completely feathering, not pulling, and not even attempting to synchronize with anyone. The guide's technique is strange, but the paddler is pretty bad.

[@droplinebacker]

Crazy to see this video. I was in the raft in the front (the first raft), along with my wife, best friend and his wife. In all fairness, our guide in the first raft (dude with a cool handlebar mustache) was VERY good and immediately jumped into action as soon as the second raft tipped over. We actually pulled one of the folks from the second raft into our raft as we waited on the far bank. We didn't know that someone (in the third raft which kept going) had died until several days later. An accident was never mentioned to us. Still never learned the cause of death.

[@droplinebacker]

@Tiny McPoop www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2014/06/08/rafter-dies-clear-creek-rafting-accident/10191721/ The really weird thing about that trip was that the guy that died was in the 4th raft, which never flipped. The 3rd raft was the one that flipped. (We were in the first raft.) To this day we still have no idea how this guy ended up in the water.

[@droplinebacker]

@Tiny McPoop www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2014/06/08/rafter-dies-clear-creek-rafting-accident/10191721/ Wow, I had forgotten about this. The really weird thing about that trip was that the guy that died was in the 3rd raft, which never flipped. The 2nd raft was the one that flipped. (We were in the 1st raft.) To this day we still have no idea how this guy ended up in the water.

[@nothingzavailable]

The customer who unfortunately died fell out during an attempt to rescue one of the other customers from the boat in this video. He fell out in a very tough spot and despite swift rescue attempts of him, he sadly didn’t make it.

[@alf732]

Ms. Bury, my sympathies. As a Colorado, Clear Creek County First Responder, Swift water Rescuer, I believe rafters and wannabes should see videos', just like this. The GoPro footage is pleasant, even cool, but nothing like being 3' lower in the water, thrown out of a raft, or intentionally jumping in. For years I've watched as decent, well meaning folks, out to have a good time in the rocky mountains, hop in a raft with "dude" as their raft guide, and fly down the creek. I'm an adrenaline blast junky myself, but I know the risks, the "rewards", the gambling, the freezing water on my face, the frigid body, the bruises on my knees, back, sprained fingers, and other such from "playing in the creek" so that I can enjoy the rare privilege of attempting to rescue some kind, decent, ordinary "Joe" just like your cousin. And for what it is worth, it hurts our hearts and heads to pull someone's lifeless body out of a creek, a car, do CPR on an obvious DOA, knowing that the anguish of their family and friends will last another lifetime. Perhaps, you might consider "respect & nerve"..................... (thank you Mr. O., some of us "get it", j.t.k.)

[@patriciogonzalez6838]

ok ...paddle ...right ..front ...back..oh shit

[@sibrilliant]

Why do these videos always have 5 minutes at the beginning that absolutely don’t need to be in the video lol.

[@stevenmoody4531]

It looks like the two paddlers in front are working against each other pointing the raft directly at the pillar.

[@Ok-xe4pr]

You really wanted to crash or why did you paddle backwards?

[@KMLifeadventure]

First rule on a water craft avoid a pin situation?

[@samuelculper4231]

As a guide for over 2,000 years - I can tell you that he meant to go to the right or the left of the bridge support. His critical mistake was when he went straight into it.

[@weirdbeard1980]

One time I had a steam roller baring down on me. It was terrifying and I only had like 45 minutes to get out of its path.

[@WickBeavers]

Nice job! You were blindfolded, right?

[@harrybarnhill8029]

First of all i have been a swift water rescue engineer for fifty years and we all know you never run straight into a piller, in all my years of professional river raft stuff i never do that

[@josephastier7421]

I've never understood how snow skiers hit trees, but they do it all the time.

[@briand3837]

It would be hard to get back in a raft with a guide who couldn't pull off that simple move.

[@winstonleeman8739]

fr especially since he blamed it on their paddling. when he had them trying to paddle backwards up white water! to avoid something that could of been avoided by paddling down across at an angle! gnarly

[@TimothyCathcart]

why did you paddle into the pillar?

[@bdh3949]

Because it looked safe I guess.

[@beepbopboop7727]

The guide was 💩

[@mattc1026]

I was rafting on the New River in WV once when a wall of water took out 4 of the rafters (including me) and dumped us into the river. There was no time to get a big breath of air before the plunge. I was forced under water in the rapids and couldn’t get back up. The rapids held me under and I essentially “gave up” and inhaled. By pure chance, my head popped up above the water line and I took in a huge lungful of air, instead of water. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to drowning. Scary sh** !!

[@beautomasi1701]

I believe the guide didn't realize he did not call forward after having them back paddle. You call a back, usually briefly, for setting up. Not for trying to maneuver upriver to avoid an object, if he indeed meant to still be in all back. I'll bet he was in a panic forward going against his crew still in all back. He never called forward.

[@BlazingShackles]

Why was the guy upfront left back paddling? Thats what kept the front of the raft directly inline with the bridge support.

[@joshf-o6696]

Those were the commands from the guide. It appears the guide forgot that he told them to continue back paddling, and he should have switched his command to forward paddling. So easily avoidable.

[@jnkggl]

It seems as though the guide wanted to use a back ferry to get to the right of the bridge pylon, but it took him awhile to establish his ferry angle and the crew was dipping rather than stroking. By the time the guide realized he was not making the move, it was too late. Also, the clients seemed not to sense the gravity of their situation and should have been employing very aggressive self rescue/swiftwater swimming skills. The pylon was easily avoidable and there was plenty of time for aggressive self rescue swimming. Running flood stage rivers requires much higher levels of experience for both guides and clients. I have to wonder about the level of client screening that went on before the put in. I applaud Kevin for posting this and hope that other will heed his sage advice about running class III/IV grade rivers at high water w/o sufficient training. My condolences to the lost and/or injured on this run.

[@steverogers6480]

Plus he could see his guests not paddling and all he did was shout louder, instead of laying in a draw stroke to pull his stern right. Back paddle will slow you down but it's not going to move you to one side or the other. We can't see what the guide is doing but I can't see any change in the boat's angle that would indicate action in the rear. One big draw could pull the stern far enough across to change a full wrap into a bump and spin...

[@jnkggl]

Agreed, I don't know why he didn't do a hard draw to set the ferry angle early on or even spin the boat and front paddle. Either way, it seems like there was still time for a massive draw stroke at the last minute to try and pull off a bump and pivot. I don't think he had anticipated the current speed and then he got target fixation and froze for a second or two at the point of no return. It easy to have crew that strokes hard on forward paddle and then becomes dippers on back paddling. My guess is that it was his first high water trip.

[@RandomRetallingsofRiggins]

There’s a moment where the last chance you to have to move comes and he just yells

[@gogotraveler7646]

It was 100% on thw guide. i looked pretty dumb there

[@sunfloweralpacas]

That was not class 4 or even 3 rapids

[@gavinhay6627]

Why would both the people in the front be back paddling ? That certainly wouldn't help to steer the raft around the pillar.

[@marcusthemagnificent9902]

Guide didn’t know what a “ferry angle” is. You have to set the boat at an angle to the current so that when you paddle you move to the side of an obstacle thereby avoiding it. Forget about the banks of the river, you have to get at an angle to the current. N

[@TOMMYTSUNAMl]

This is all the guides fault. Backwards stokes aren’t gonna help you go left or right. It’s easier to turn the boat when no one else is paddling. Also he could’ve asked the customers if they were ok or at least acknowledge what happened. Sometimes you can blame it on your paddlers, but here he had plenty of time to go LEFT or RIGHT. He chose neither

[@ponyrang]

Wow, My best friend, I liked the video very much, thanks you for sharing, stay safe, stay blessed

[@kbmx5845]

it maybe the highest water in many years but in water sports you never leave it to the last second the guide should have known that they are taking people who have probably never done anything like it before. as soon as you see something you should react straight away, he should have said left side forwards wait until the raft has turned facing the right-hand bank then said all fowards.

[@matthewmcdonald6150]

As a raft guide, you’re trained to control the raft without the customers. You do not NEED them. But use them to make them feel needed. Many times I’ve given up on yelling commands and simply taken over and crisis averted.

[@tntkop]

You see that? That damn bridge came outta no where!

[@rgorjon9]

Where is the video of them getting that raft off the pylon?

[@chazman4461]

I wanted to see the same thing.

[@swirledworld340]

Whats with the back water?

[@DrRepper]

That was really poor. What's the point in having your clients paddle backwards when you've got the boat pointing straight downstream? He'd have been better off just drawing the thing over himself

[@DayvanCowboy195]

Are Colorado guides licensed? I'm a raft guide in Maine and we have to go through the ringer to get a license here for the class 4 and 5 rivers.

[@nothingzavailable]

DayvanCowboy195 Yes, they have to go through about a month long cert process.

[@Fullflex4X4]

Going to to the dead river on 5500 in sept ! Can’t wait

[@livenfree]

Otto - what happened after that? Where did u go/how did you get out? And what happened to the raft?

[@nothingzavailable]

After the boat in the video wrapped the bridge pylon, rescue attempts from the boats ahead began. Fortunately, all of the swimmers were successfully saved. Unfortunately a customer from one of the “rescue boats” (during an attempt to rescue one of the swimmers) fell out himself just before a very intense stretch of this river. Do to the high volume of water on the creek at the time, the cold temperature, the intensity of the rapids below and despite the swift rescue attempts, the man unfortunately did not make it.

[@livenfree]

@@nothingzavailableWow! thank you for the reply. White water rafting seems quite risky! I hear of so many close calls and loss of life.

[@nothingzavailable]

@@livenfree No worries. Glad you saw the semi-late response ;). It sure can be risky, but when you have so many people going downstream in a season, you're due for accidents here and there. Several people have died by just falling out and hitting the cold water on this creek (shock/cardiac arrest). I hope it doesn't deter folks from enjoying the sport, but everyone should certainly be aware of their own health/limitations and the potential of a swim in cold whitewater.

[@michaelhunter1093]

I guided brown canyon in the late 80's early 90's the boat owner was at fault there. that obstacle was 100% avoidable!!

[@Pdlindberg]

He was trying to back ferry to River right but didn’t have enough angle to move laterally.

[@redhedfreek289]

i hope the guide bought double the swim beer after that run. pitiful guiding

[@britlandco]

We were standing next to the river at the Argo Gold Mine and watched all these people leave around 2:35 or so... Sorry it turned tragic.

[@thecuriousvida]

Crazy how that bridge piling just jumped out in front on them and smashed that raft...hope everyone was ok

[@DoBetter.g]

All from the raft that sunk were found to be okay. One individual from the 3rd raft did pass away in an effort to rescue a floater when they themselves fell into the rapids.

[@thecuriousvida]

@@DoBetter.g oh no that's horrible.

[@itsbeiko]

Why is everyone saying sorry for your loss, did he mention anyone die in the incident?

[@BruinsCupChampions]

beiko kdvr.com/2014/06/09/video-clear-creek-river-rafting-accident-ended-in-death-of-rescuer/

[@droplinebacker]

+beiko Yes, someone did die in this group of rafts, but he wasn't in the second raft that tipped over. He was in the third raft that kept going after the second one tipped over. The first raft (which we were in) and the fourth raft pulled over. The third raft kept going.

[@dishasawant4385]

@@BruinsCupChampions more like RUINS cup champions...where is the news?!!! :P

[@BillFarnham]

You have to lay the fault for this one on the guide. There's really no excuse for hitting a bridge pylon in that stretch of water. Also, not sure about the claim that the claim that "the river level was at its highest peak in 40 years that day" when you can clearly see a high water mark on the river banks and bridge pylons.

[@Party_gt-e6j]

Because we’re the one for kids on this kind of like dangerous because my brother almost fell off, but this one is like more waves

[@neurobook]

Gotta watch out for those sneaky bridge abutments, they keep moving back-and-forth… you come around the corner and there it is and then it moves under the water and it pops up over here.

[@freeguide8912]

The guide owns this accident by not choosing the correct line pass that overpass. He endangered his crew's lives.

[@k1j2f30]

I might be wrong here but, it looks to me like the guide made a bad decision to paddle to the bank side of the structure and stuck with that decision instead of turning the raft to the center flow. This could have been avoided easily if they would not have fought the current and paddled to toward center stream!

[@BruinsCupChampions]

So sorry for your loss

[@sethwilliams720]

You never want to hear your guide yell out “Swim! Swim!”. All joking aside the guide could have avoided this incident himself even if everyone in the raft was doing the wrong thing. Was painful to watch and horrible that someone who was just trying to have a little adventure lost their life over this mistake.

[@coloradosheets]

Never understood the appeal of rafting Clear Creek. It's small stream bed made up almost entirely of road side blast rock from I70. Nothing like yahooing on 400 cfs as you ride along the interstate, smell of diesel fuel, sound of 18 wheelers passing you by and the periodic concrete overpass that harkens to an urban spill way. Take my money. Please.

[@doctorcrafts]

Amen

[@terrymorris1687]

Being not a guide for 45 years, I saw the mistake coming from a long way off.

[@johnrflinn]

High flows change the friendly pool drop sequence into one continuous raging flood.

[@J_Westbrook]

Looks like he was trying to do another 360 or whatever it was off of the bridge.

[@coyoteken100]

high side right, high side left? at 5:26 ...uhm you hit the bridge dude. don't mean to be harsh. but you hit the bridge.

[@stringermedia5875]

The guy on the left side was rowing forward. Are you kidding?

[@trwent]

Paddling, not rowing.

[@russford7735]

Rookie mistake, who the hell was the guide?

[@dal0768]

Was that raft filled with first timers or what?

[@djrxtr]

Rookie Guide? Plenty of time to avoid that pillar, and the guide just plain blew it.

[@Frisher1]

That or he was concentrated on another thing

[@Chompchompyerded]

They're not the first or the last to hit that piller. Back in the 1970's someone painted a target on it just for laughs and giggles. I see that the Department of Roads or maybe just time has taken it off.

[@felixbkr3066]

I can't believe he managed to hit the bridge.

[@MrMattDawg423]

I was in one of the boats across the creek im srry for your loss.

[@sytri2698]

No one died

[@nothingzavailable]

Unfortunately, a customer from the “rescue boat” did die as a result of the rescue. He fell out while himself and his boat were attempting to rescue a customer form the boat in this footage. Unfortunately, terrible things like this happen on the river sometime. Mistakes can and will be made and that’s just the nature of the beast. The guide in this video is actually a great guide who made a silly mistake and it unfortunately didn’t end well.

[@fuckcensorship69]

War Eagle

[@justinsnyder6256]

It's always the guides fault. Supposed to have control at all times. He wanted them paddling forward and they were still going backwards. Guide wasn't clear with his intentions

[@zechmanyon6403]

I live just north of where the Salmon River meets the snake river in Idaho. so funny to read the description of this video talking about class 3 & 4 rapids. Um...no. this is like an over flowing creek...nothing more then 2's and maybe very small 3's. Not a class 4 or even decent 3 in the video.

[@Troia-fm9sh]

True, it's not a class 3 this time of year, water is too high and fast, but in mid too late July it is

[@robertkoleczko3987]

" Keep going! Keep going! Keep going, straight on the piller!" " Wich one?". " Dude! There is only one, single one!" 🤔🙄😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👍‼️

[@FragranceEmpire]

Guide mistake sorry yall..

[@dogfood61188]

I feel for the raft guide, hes trying to keep distance between him and the lead raft, which is sensible and they aren't doing much forwards. Hes trying to reverse ferry glide away from the bridge support, but hes not getting enough power from his crew and his angles not aggressive enough, with out the power he needs he cant fully commit to the maneuver though. A split second of indecision as he decides to turn right. Continuing with the ferry glide and a more aggressive angle would probably have caught enough of the raft in the flow to avoid a wrap around, it still wouldn't be ideal. Watch the video 4-5 times in the warmth of your house and every one can slate the raft guide. In that half second the guide had to asses what to do next and the possible outcomes things weren't quite so easy and clear cut as all these experts make out.

[@beepbopboop7727]

He was incompetent

[@johnderf577]

watch the video. the guide was trying not to "bunch up" with the first raft+looking back to check on 3rd raft. it was completely his fault. people paddling are your motor. all he had to do is a stroke or two himself to change direction. RIP

[@spiffcats]

This looks epic, tragic it ended the way it did. Its easy to watch the video and assign blame, we can see what happened and the errors made, but that wont bring the person who died back or make anyone feel better. Rest in peace.

[@annalisekluegel8472]

who died? i saw the caption say they were rescued

[@davezetec]

​@@annalisekluegel8472 I looked up the incident and it says a man died falling from a raft that did not over turn, it says in the report the raft in front over turned and all the paddlers got to safety so not sure if this is the footage of THAT raft where everyone survived. (american whitewater report 3839)

[@beepbopboop7727]

It was the guides fault

[@trwent]

They could see this bridge pillar from 150 yards upstream. Even at the end, between the last rapid and the bridge, there was plenty of class 2 water to get the raft over to river right and easily miss that pillar by at least 5 feet, if not 10 feet. Guide error all the way.

[@TotesMAGoats69]

Wow one measly 4ft colomn with all that river

[@georgewilliamssr5230]

As having been a professional guide. I could have a lot to say. But, as any other Guides who might be watching this video. It's all there, nothing left to say.

[@chriscox4936]

Aiming you boat directly at an object and calling back stokes is just delaying the inevitable.

[@jimmyelsen4787]

Is clear creek in Colorado I remember hearing of a clear creek near where I live

[@OttoKnowsBest]

Yes :)

[@jimmyelsen4787]

Kevin O thx

[@trwent]

This is the water used to brew Coors beer.

[@steelemedia]

I have been both a photographer and shuttle driver on this section. The run they are doing is beginner section. They are just above the take out. The customers are beginners. And the stretch they just floated is pretty and boring. The guide doesn’t seem to have a sense of urgency. A bridge abutment is not a rapid, in some ways it’s way worse. Even though they are beginners, the guide lined up poorly, wasn’t able to evade the hazard. A few strong strokes would have gotten them out of trouble. That said, swims on Clear Creek are not uncommon. Neither is dying. I had a swimmer who perished on a swim only to be revived 45 minutes later. She floated for 3 miles before they were able to get her out. The cold water saved her life.

[@wddub9075]

From the info given, have say the chances for human failure on the part of the guide were elevated as the description states, that was the highest the level had been in 40 years. If he was conditioned for lower levels could be he was surprised by all the extra power of the river. On the other hand someone else stated here the guide could have corrected their path was one proper swipe. Either way it was his responsibility. Did I read correctly that 3 died in the boat that passed them? Their guide track record sounding sketchier

[@nothingzavailable]

One man unfortunately died. Not from the boat in this video, but fell out from another boat in an attempt to rescue one of the current swimmers. You’re right about the very high levels this day, and the man unfortunately fell out in a very tough spot.

[@TheBronxQ]

why the guide took that straight angle?? i think if he took the front angle of the boat to the right and all people were forward paddling, that accident could be avoided... sorry for your loss

[@rampking1]

+TheBronxQ Exactly, if you are rowing you point at the obstruction or some sort of an angle and row back/away , if you are a paddle raft you point the raft away* from the obstruction and paddle forward. Yes, you can't get half the amount of power back paddling away regardless of how deep your crew is digging in, especially bad situation when the river was obviously really moving.

[@rastafari7415]

I’m only two weeks into roomie training and would not have done that. Yikes. Fairy angle was noooot the move when you coulda just pointed right and called forward

[@joshuajones2511]

Wait so did someone die

[@marcotenthousand]

Yes. Somehow a man in the next boat behind this boat fell into the water and swam for several miles downstream and died.

[@mountain_ginger]

You can tell the guide doesn't know as much as he should and that he is at fault. Just watch him vs. the raft in front of him. The entire trip down this groups guide was calling so many paddle strokes to try and stay with the flow while the front raft was just cruising with a couple guide strokes here and there. Shitty ferry angle, can't blame this one on your paddlers. Had enough time to get in position. Hell, I could have gotten a full raft out of the way by myself with that much time.

[@steveperreira5850]

Absolutely the right analysis. He should have been positioning himself from 100 yards upstream. He totally blew it.

[@Wjray0126]

He could have saved that by simply turning the boat left a little to back paddle back into the current and gain more space away from the boat ahead

[@kayakchrispy]

The raft guy tells them stop.. all back so they all back paddle and are never given any other instructions other than harder … I think forward strokes with some steering woulda worked .

[@YaGottaBeKidding]

That "guide" didn't know what he was doing. He shouldn't have needed his crew at all to avoid that bridge pillar and didn't know how to use them when he'd called for them.

[@johnkayak10]

And that is why I kayak! I know my strength and I know what to avoid and if I am capable of it.

[@garysublett3493]

guide is also manager at local mcdonalds...😂😂😂😂😂

[@user-tb2jy9lu3d]

All that they had to do was just go another foot off to the right. It's not like they didn't have enough paddle force to do so...

[@JPoleet]

Jesus. It would help if your guide actually did something besides issue pointless commands. Point your boat in the correct direction and nobody even has to paddle there. He's back there screaming to back paddle right into a bridge pillar, it's not like it jumped out in front of you.

[@matthowarth4498]

Now that is some GOOD guiding. No tip for you dude!

[@danehewitt1709]

Did this section a few years ago... We all swam farther down, and had a great time... Everyone laughing, and nobody crying because they got wet while rafting down a river... Nobody blaming anyone else because they had a good time... Jesus...

[@rastafari7415]

Swimming in rapids Is fun, wrapping a boat around a pylon is dangerous.

[@TanyaBucci]

@jmcdougal429 Gauley

[@sdalarsen]

And it sounded like one of the clients died during the rescue.

[@Peter-zg3em]

straight into an abutment for a massive bridge? was that the plan? kayaking guide here. years and years of experience, saved a man's life, pulled more kids out of hte water than i can count, blah blah blah. i've never steered a raft of this size but i cannot fathom the idea that it was impossible to maneuver this thing given how much damn time they had. get to the right side before it's an issue. you have an exact model of your boat showing you a line to take with a pro guide steering it. guide should find another job. descriptions are very vague and it seems someone died on this trip. from this raft or another? the lack of urgency was pretty remarkable. they got in the water and just kind of grinned.

[@keanenhall7745]

I didn't know sueco was a tour guide.

[@davesharp5472]

The wording "Rafting accident" is kinda dramatic for this. I was a guide for 2 summers in college and rafts getting pinned isnt all that uncommon. What is uncommon is all the rafters hanging on to their paddles when they go in!

[@boathemian7694]

He had no ferry angle

[@PortsmouthCherokee]

Hahahaha that was midly hillarious. It was like the raft went BUNK than SLURP gULP