25-year-old Colorado Springs man dies after boat sinks in Lake Pueblo

A Colorado Springs man died after a ski boat he was riding on sank at Lake Pueblo Saturday evening. 

Joey Isaac Tafoya, 25, apparently drowned, according to the Pueblo County coroner, who identified the man on Monday. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine an official cause of death.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Tafoya was one of three people on the small boat, which began sinking shortly after it was launched just west of the North Shore Marina. 

Two boat passengers wearing life jackets resurfaced as the boat went under water and were rescued by park rangers. A third passenger, who was wearing pants and boots but no life jacket, tried to swim to shore but quickly began struggling, according to CPW. 

Witnesses on shore tried to swim to the man, but were unable to reach him before he disappeared below the surface of the water. 

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CPW called in the Pueblo County Sheriff’s volunteer dive team; they quickly recovered the man’s body in about 7 feet of water. CPW then pulled the sunken boat to shore. 

“While we continue to investigate, this appears to be a tragic accident,” Daryl Seder, senior park ranger at Lake Pueblo, said. “We offer our condolences to the family and friends of this victim.”

The incident occurred about 50 yards offshore near the Big Lizard Picnic Pavilion on the lake’s north side, Seder said. 

He described the boat as an older, low-profile ski boat. The two survivors on the boat told CPW rangers they noticed the boat was taking on water shortly after they left the marina’s “no wake” zone and passed its buoy.

The combination of the weight from the water in the boat and choppy waves on the lake swamped the boat, causing it to quickly sink, Seder said. It’s unknown why the boat was taking on water.

This is the first death on Lake Pueblo in 2023. If confirmed by the coroner, this death would be the 24th water-related death in Colorado in 2023. In addition, there are three people still missing and presumed dead in water-related incidents this year. A record 42 people died in water-related incidents in 2022. 

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