An accident during a family rafting trip on the Colorado River claimed the life of New Castle resident Matt Clemente on Saturday. An experienced boatman, Matt was on the river near New Castle with his three children, his brother Nick, and Nick’s dog.

According to family-friend Mary Sundblom, the family encountered trouble when their raft hit a large wave. Despite Matt’s efforts to navigate safely, the raft filled with water and flipped. Matt was not wearing a personal flotation device.

The accident happened near a section of the river known at the “Dino Hole.” According to Sundblom, who learned of the incident from Matt’s brother and children, Matt saw other boats taking a rough line and attempted to navigate to a safer route, resulting in the raft being overwhelmed by the waves. Nick was able to swim himself and Matt’s oldest child, Jasper, 9, to shore. 

Sundblom said nearby rafting guides with the Defiance Rafting Company managed to rescue Matt’s two other children further downstream. Nick’s dog, Ooggie Boogie, was found alive Sunday by Garfield County sheriffs. According to a Garfield County Search and Rescue Facebook group post (which has since been deleted), a rescue team of eight members and two water crafts were dispatched, which located Matt’s body downstream on a sandbar near the New Castle boat ramp Saturday evening. His body was retrieved using a helicopter around 7:35 p.m.

Sundblom called Matt a beloved figure in the New Castle area. He worked as a nurse at Valley View and Aspen Valley Hospital. He was also in the process of starting a home health company to serve those in need.

“He was an avid outdoorsman who loved the rivers, loved to go camping and loved to be with his family,” Sundblom said. “He was a light-hearted, playful, funny, incredible father.”

Matt is survived by his wife Raven and their three children: Jasper, Pepper, 7,and Prairie, 5. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to aid Matt’s family, and can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-matts-family-navigate-their-loss