9-year-old falls off tube, drowns in Boulder Creek – The Denver Post

A 9-year-old boy was pulled from Boulder Creek by emergency workers Sunday evening and later pronounced dead, city officials reported.

Police and fire units responded to a 911 call just before 5 p.m. on a report of a child who had fallen from an inner tube into Boulder Creek and was missing. Searchers saw him minutes later and pulled him from the creek near Broadway and Canyon Boulevard. First responders administered CPR before transporting him to Boulder Community Hospital. The boy was pronounced dead in the hospital’s emergency department at 5:41 p.m.

“This is an unspeakable tragedy for everyone involved, especially the boy’s family,” said Jeff Long, deputy fire chief of operations. “All our responders were there — police, fire, medics, our swiftwater crew. We got to him as quickly as possible, and it’s a terrible feeling to not be able to save someone. Especially when that someone is a child.”

The child’s parents sustained minor injuries and were also treated by medics at the scene.

“I can’t imagine how terrible this must be for the child’s family, and also our first responder community,” said Police Chief Maris Harold. “Today has been heavy for the city of Boulder, and we are all thinking of the family who just lost their child.”

Police, firefighters, a dive team, American Medical Response and the Boulder Emergency Squad responded to the call.