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https://www.montrosepress.com/free_access/man-dies-after-plunge-into-icy-chipeta-lake/article_2f7f1ffc-7edc-11ec-ac35-5bf2a0142ff7.html/?utm_medium=internal&utm_source=readerShare&utm_campaign=bButto

Man dies after plunge into icy Chipeta Lake

A 24-year-old man is dead in a suspected drowning after he entered Chipeta Lake early Wednesday morning.

Montrose County Coroner, Dr. Thomas Canfield, said that Draven Warren of Montrose died while swimming in the lake, on the southern edge of Montrose. An autopsy is pending.

Warren was with three friends; he apparently put a hole in the ice to get in the water, but became trapped under it, according to preliminary reports.

Those with Warren tried to find and save him; they called 911 at 12:52 a.m. Montrose Fire Protection District crews responded at 12:59 a.m. with specialized ice rescue equipment, including wet suits that keep those wearing them warmer and buoyant. The bystanders reported Warren had gone under the ice about 10 to 15 minutes prior, Fire Chief Tad Rowan said.

Crews, assisted by the Montrose Police Department and Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, searched the hole where Warren had last been seen, but he wasn’t nearby.

It took 20 to 25 minutes with power saws and axes to cut a trench cut across the ice, the thickness of which — between 4 – 6 inches — hindered the cutting, Rowan said.

Upon spotting Warren, responders used a hook to catch hold of his clothing and take him to the surface. He was placed in a basket-stretcher and then pulled to shore.

Paramedics spent more than an hour trying to resuscitate Warren, who was transported to Montrose Regional Health.

“Unfortunately, he did not survive,” Montrose Police Chief Blaine Hall said.

“It’s just heartbreaking. I’m sad for his family and for his friends who were there. It’s just a terrible incident. Our condolences from the police department go out to the family.”

After the sun came up, MFPD crew members went back to Chipeta Lake and placed cones and caution tape where the hole and the trench cut were. The ice is not solid in those places because it was cut and has not fully refrozen, so anyone on the lake should exercise extreme caution, Rowan said.

Katharhynn Heidelberg is the Montrose Daily Press assistant editor and senior writer. Follow her on Twitter, @kathMDP.

Submitted on 04/13/2022