A good Samaritan drowned Saturday in Mesa County after diving into a swimming hole to help a friend who was struggling to escape a powerful current.
Stephen F. Burns II, 19, of Littleton drowned at the “potholes” on the Little Dolores River in Glade Park on Saturday morning.
Burns, who attended Arapahoe Community College, was camping with friends when a woman he knew jumped into the water and was seized by the current, family friend Wendy Tipton said Sunday.
“Stevie jumped in and helped pull her to the shore and handed her off to another friend, and the current was too strong for him and he perished,” Tipton said.
Burns and his friends, including the woman he saved, were Columbine High School graduates who had camped at the park each year at this time since 2006.
Burns’ friends administered CPR for about 30 minutes before emergency responders arrived at the swimming hole.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the coroner said Sunday that the death was an accidental drowning.
“That kid, he always had a smile. He always had a hug for everybody,” Tipton said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
