A 20-year-old college student from Littleton has drowned in Chile.
Derrik Flahive, 20, a student at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, died Tuesday, a school spokeswoman said.
According to news reports in Chile citing official sources, Flahive was with a 20-year-old friend from Ohio when both young men jumped into a chute-type waterfall in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. To jump, both had to go over a protective barrier.
A tourist boat on the Petrohue River was able to rescue the Ohio man, but Flahive hit his head on rocks before going underwater.
The 2009 Kent Denver School graduate played on the Colby lacrosse team and majored in global studies, with a minor in philosophy, said school spokeswoman Ruth Jacobs.
Flahive was studying in Chile as part of SIT Chile: Socioeconomic and Political Transformation program, based in Santiago, according to Colby’s website.
Colby officials described him as a dedicated student, a gifted athlete and a generous community member.
“We lost a very dynamic young man in Derrik Flahive,” said Justin Domingos, his lacrosse coach, in a Web post. “His ability to play lacrosse at a high level was overshadowed by his ability to connect with people from all walks of life.”
Flags on the Colby campus were lowered to half-staff in memory of Flahive, who was in his junior year at the liberal-arts college. Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post
