Aurora man drowns in South Platte River on 4th of July

DENVER ( KDVR ) — An Aurora man drowned after being swept away by fast-moving currents in the South Platte River on Thursday.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jorge Ramirez-Flores, 57, was with his family on the South Platte River near Deckers at 4:45 p.m. Deputies said he was walking on some rocks when he lost his balance and fell into the water.

Ramirez-Flores’s family attempted to grab him, but deputies said the current pushed him downstream.

Deputies said he traveled about two miles to the Gaskill Bridge when bystanders pulled his body out of the water. Ramirez-Flores was unresponsive, and the bystanders attempted resuscitation efforts.

North Fork Fire arrived on scene and took over the life-saving efforts but were unsuccessful. It was determined that Ramirez-Flores had drowned.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there have been more than 25 deaths in Colorado bodies of water so far this year, and it’s only July. CPW projects this to be a record-breaking year.

According to information sent out by CPW, in 2023, they tracked 32 water-related deaths, down from 42 in 2022 — a state record. CPW tracked 22 deaths in 2021 and 34 deaths in 2020.

Mark Techmyer, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Public Affairs Director, says the incident is another reason to highlight water safety because this kind of drowning could happen to anyone.

“We don’t have lazy rivers here, they can look on the surface like they’re manageable, but underneath the current can be drastically different. It’s very easy to get snagged up and caught up in something or to slip and fall and have the current carry you away,” Techmyer said.

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