The Diskin children spent months planning a mountain vacation with their parents, but it took only a moment for the overdue reunion to turn tragic.
The family, who rented a home near Fort Collins and planned on hiking and enjoying other outdoor adventures, set out Thursday on a commercial raft trip down the Cache La Poudre River.
“They were all looking forward to being together. I’m sure they never expected this,” said Jan Llewellyn, whose daughter is married to the eldest Diskin child.
Frank Diskin, 69, of Parsons, Kan. — the father of the six Diskin children — drowned after he was thrown from the raft into the frigid, fast-flowing Poudre west of Fort Collins, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
A representative from Rocky Mountain Adventures, the company that operated the trip, said it is still investigating the accident, the first fatality in the company’s history.
During the ride, the raft “dump-trucked,” or became perpendicular to the water, and tossed everyone into the swollen river.
While it could not say what caused the raft to tip, the company confirmed that the craft did not flip.
Most of the rafters were able to get back into the craft.
Diskin and three others were swept downriver.
One of the four broke a leg and was rescued, and two others, who were not injured and were wearing wet suits, were retrieved from an island near the Mishawaka Inn, about 25 miles west of Fort Collins, police said.
Family members told Llewellyn the accident occurred when the raft hit a boulder, launching Diskin, Llewellyn’s 15- and 17-year-old grandsons, and a fourth person into the river.
The rafting company did not say whether the raft hit a rock.
Llewellyn said her grandsons were able to swim to safety, but police would not confirm whether they were the two rescued from the island.
“They were having a good time and enjoying their time together, and this terrible accident happens,” Llewellyn said.
The coroner’s office ruled that complications of heart disease also contributed to Diskin’s death.
Deputies will meet with employees of Rocky Mountain Adventures and the U.S. Forest Service sometime during the next few days, said John Schulz, spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The meeting should help determine what happened during the accident. Currently, there is no active criminal investigation into the accident, Schulz said.
“It’s a tragic thing, but it’s part of the sport,” he said.
Rocky Mountain Adventures said everyone who goes on its raft trips must wear a life jacket and helmet.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
