People encouraged to wear life jackets following the death of a man without one at Lake Pueblo
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials said one man died after a boat with three people sank Saturday evening on Lake Pueblo, west of the North Shore Marina and boat ramp.
According to CPW, the two people who had life jackets on resurfaced when the boat sank and were rescued. The third person, however, wasn't wearing a life jacket and wasn't able to swim back or be reached. He ultimately went under and his body was recovered later seven feet underwater.
Monday, the coroner identified the man as 25-year-old Joey Isaac Tafoya of Colorado Springs. The coroner confirmed he apparently drowned and was pronounced dead at the scene by a Coroner Investigator.
"Sometimes it's just, you know, freak accidents and things that do happen. But, you know, we do hope that having that increased volunteer presence out there to educate people is helping to reduce some of the fatalities this year," said Joey Livingston, Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Tafoya's death marks the first to happen at Lake Pueblo so far in 2023.
This is significantly lower compared to last year. Between May and July of 2022, six people lost their lives at Lake Pueblo.
Rangers said this drowning is a prime example of why life jackets need to be made a priority when out on Colorado's waters.
"Most water-related fatalities occur because people are not wearing life jackets, especially on flat water, as we saw this past weekend," said Livingston.
KRDO spoke with a boater who said he makes safety a top priority when going out on the water.
"It always like, starts the night before for me," explained boater Isaiah Perkins. "Just making sure that I have all the proper safety equipment and making sure the boat's ready to go before it."
According to CPW, data from the U.S. Coast Guard showed that drowning was the reported cause of death in four out of every five recreational boating fatalities in 2021. Of those deaths, 83% weren't wearing a life jacket.
According to data from the U.S. Coast Guard's 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics, 75% of boating deaths were due to drowning. Eighty-five percent of the victims weren't wearing a life jacket. Additionally, two-thirds of the drowning victims were considered "good swimmers."
The Safe Boating Campaign states wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket is the simplest life-saving strategy for recreational boaters.
CPW said this is the 24th water-related death in Colorado in 2023.
