Coloradan drowns in river near Moab

MOAB — A 17-year-old boy from Fraser, Colo., drowned Saturday after the raft he was riding in flipped in whitewater near Moab.

Deputy Chief Curt Brewer of the Grand County Sheriff's Office said Timothy Rau was floating on the Colorado River when his raft flipped as he attempted to pass through Funnel Falls. Nearby witnesses in kayaks saw the teen become submerged again in Skull Rapid and were able to support him until a second raft could begin to transport him to the nearest takeout that was more than an hour's float away.

CPR was started and continued in the raft by family and friends until the group reached the Cisco takeout. Brewer said St. Mary's Air Care responded, but teams were unable to revive the teen after advanced cardiac life support. CPR had been performed for about three hours. Rau was pronounced dead at the takeout.

Beth Sans, a spokeswoman for the Rau family, said that Timothy Rau was an accomplished outdoorsman, despite a genetic disorder that confined him to a wheelchair at times. He had been dog sledding in Alaska, snowmobiling in Yellowstone and rafted in the Grand Canyon, according to a blog he maintained at timothyrau.com.

"He had no fear," Sans said. "He was always trying new things, and his parents did all they could to make that happen."

Rau was wearing a life vest, but strong currents kept him submerged, Brewer said. Rau's parents were experienced rafters, and Sans said his mother had more than 25 years of experience floating whitewater in the United States.

— Clayton Norlen