Overview
- Authorities identified the victim as 59-year-old Paul Frasch of Silverthorne who was crushed after a large boulder fell on a trail pullout near Buena Vista.
- First responders found Frasch trapped beneath what investigators estimated was at least a half-ton rock and he died at the scene despite rescue efforts.
- A co-worker who had stopped with Frasch for lunch at the popular 'Rapid 5 ½ Pullover' suffered minor arm injuries while trying to help and called 911.
- Both men were employees of a moving company who had been passing through the area and had stopped at the pullout several times before.
- The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office has opened an active investigation with no public finding yet on the cause and officials warn rockfall risks can occur on river trails where loose or dislodged stones sit above paths.