2022 deadliest year in Colorado history for water recreation, with 6 deaths in Pueblo
There have been 36 deaths recorded on Colorado waters so far this year, making 2022 the deadliest in state history for water recreation-related deaths.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Tuesday that three recent drownings — a double drowning on Sept. 9 at Dillon Reservoir and a third on Sept. 11 at James M. Robb – Colorado River State Park — pushed the state beyond its previous high of 34 water fatalities set in 2020.
Six of the state’s deaths this year occurred at Lake Pueblo State Park, the most highly attended park in the Centennial State. In the 2022 fiscal year, which ended June 30, the park recorded more than 4.1 million visitors.
Bill Vogrin, spokesperson for CPW’s southeast region, said that by far the biggest factor in this year’s deaths, in Pueblo and statewide, was that those who died were not wearing life jackets.
“Water will kill you, and you need to wear a life jacket,” Vogrin said. “People died in such a variety of ways, and the one common denominator was they weren’t wearing life jackets. People who drowned … died falling in from the shore, wading into what they thought was shallow water that dropped off; they drowned silently and quickly before the eyes of their loved ones and friends.
“Don’t underestimate the risk of water. It’s not good enough to have a life jacket strapped to your paddle board or to have it under the seat in your boat or to be sitting on it in your kayak or canoe. You need to wear it.”
Of the deaths recorded statewide, a figure that includes those in city, county and state rivers, as well as Colorado lakes and reservoirs, 34 were confirmed drownings. Of those at Lake Pueblo, five people drowned and a sixth was killed in a fatal boating accident.
All of Pueblo’s water-related fatalities so far this year occurred from May 29 to July 9. During that period, CPW hammered hard on public messaging to raise awareness about the importance of life jackets and water safety.
More:Woman who died when boat capsized on Lake Pueblo identified, one adult still missing
Vogrin said CPW’s messaging about water safety — which is promoted year-round but was amplified during the deadliest months of this summer — seems to have played a role in curbing overall deaths.
“I’d be speculating, but I’d like to think our amped-up water safety messaging had an impact statewide because we didn’t see any drownings for quite a while,” Vogrin said.
“But then, on Labor Day weekend, people are taking that last chance to get into the water and they let their guard down. Tragically, we lost three there in just a couple of days. It just shows you can never relax around water.”
According to CPW, Colorado recorded 24 water-related fatalities in 2019, 34 in 2020 — five of which took place at Lake Pueblo — and 22 in 2021, prior to this year's record-setting fatalities.
More:Teen drowns in Lake Pueblo, man dies when boat flips in Royal Gorge
Other common themes CPW saw in this year’s deaths was the “use of alcohol and people swimming from shore, on inner tubes or paddling,” CPW Boating Safety and Registrations Program Manager Grant Brown said in a news release. While many mountain reservoirs close for the winter, boating opportunities continue year-round in warmer areas like Pueblo. Vogrin said while there are significantly fewer people on Colorado water bodies in the winter months, that doesn’t necessarily make water-related deaths less likely.
"There’s people on the water at Lake Pueblo year-round," Vogrin said. "Those boat ramps never close, unlike our high-mountain reservoirs where they ice up and boating ends near the first or end of October, but that’s not the case in the southeast region. Some of our waters — John Martin (Reservoir), Lake Pueblo and others — stay open year-round. So we can't let our guard down even in the fall and winter.
"In fact, the risk is probably even greater because we have water fowl hunting going on as well as overnight boating. Everything that goes on in and around the waters, we really need people to stay vigilant."
The first deaths at Lake Pueblo in 2022 came on May 29, when Joshua Prindle, a soldier stationed at Fort Carson, and his wife, Jessica Prindle, drowned after a boat they were on with 11 other people capsized in high winds. The boat was meant to hold only seven people.
On June 6, the body of 16-year-old David Marez was recovered from the lake after an apparent drowning.
Just one day later, on June 7, 34-year-old Eric May jumped into the water from an inflatable after witnesses say he believed his daughter was in distress, according to CPW. May's body was later recovered in 25 feet of water.
On July 7, Rosalia Niz Niz, 22, of Colorado Springs, died as a result of a "swimming accident," Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter said. Niz Niz had “gone missing” from shore at around 4:30 p.m. that day and was found in 20-foot-deep water shortly after with the assistance of a drone.
More:Two men who drowned on Arkansas River identified
Lake Pueblo's only nondrowning fatality this year was 32-year-old Puebloan Arley Rodriguez-Lopez, who died July 9 from injuries suffered in a boating wreck.
“Lake Pueblo is the busiest state park in Colorado. We have people, day and night, out fishing. We have people around the water. And that’s something we learned this summer, tragically, is that people fishing, people who were walking along water, people who were just wading and waded in too deep … they’re gone before their loved ones, who are right nearby, even realize what’s happened,” Vogrin said.
“So that’s the message you’ve got to drive home: Don’t relax around water. Stay vigilant. Teach your kids to respect the risk and take proper precautions. And wear your life jackets.”
In addition to wearing a life jacket, the state wildlife agency recommends the following safety tips:
Put a whistle on your jacket so you can call for help.
Be aware of your surroundings — the water gets deep quickly.
Be aware of the weather; high winds and storms can come up fast.
Check your boat and all required boating safety gear.
Avoid boating alone and tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
Boat sober. Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths.
Know that stand-up paddleboards are considered vessels in Colorado and require a life jacket on board at all times.
Protect yourself from the dangers of cold water immersion and shock. Regardless of your age or experience level, cold water can quickly create a drowning emergency.
Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado sees record number of water deaths in 2022, 6 at Lake Pueblo
