A man drowned at Prewitt Reservoir Tuesday after he jumped into the water in an attempt to swim out to a boat he and a friend were launching from a dock, according to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
CPW officials say around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, witnesses reported seeing two men launching a boat at Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife Area, which is between Sterling and Fort Morgan. As the boat started to drift away, the man on the dock jumped into the water to swim out to the boat but began to struggle and went under, authorities said.
Witnesses told CPW the person in the boat jumped into the reservoir to swim towards the other man but also started to struggle in the water until he was rescued by another boat. Neither man was wearing a life jacket.
Wildlife officers used multiple boats with sonar to search for the missing man and were assisted by divers from the Sterling Fire Department. The man’s body was recovered around 3:15 p.m.
The Washington County Coroner will release the identity of the victim and the cause of death, the press release said.
The drowning at Prewitt Reservoir comes just a day after the father of two children was knocked off his paddleboard Monday by a gust of wind at Chatfield Reservoir. His body was found three hours later.
His children were rescued by others out on the water.
