DINOSAUR — The National Park Service said a California man was the person who died in an accident during a commercial rafting trip Saturday.
Authorities said 47-year-old Anthony Vasi died while trying to navigate the "Birth Canal" feature at Triplet Falls on the Green River when the raft flipped and he was thrown from the raft. Park officials said he was responsive while in the water, but he became unresponsive when a rescue swimmer brought him out from behind a rock and into the main current.
Rangers said other members on the rafting trip attempted CPR, but they could not resuscitate him. He was declared dead when a paramedic with Classic Air Medical arrived at the scene.
The National Park Service said Vasi was on the trip with family and friends. He was from Newport Beach, Calif. Officials also said the river was running at 2,350 cubic feet per second at the time of the accident, which is equivalent of 2,350 basketballs of water passing by every second.
Triplet Falls is a Class III rapid about 12 miles from Dinosaur National Monument's northern boundary. It's located in a canyon with walls that rise more than 1,200 feet above the river.
