GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — A young boy was pulled to safety earlier this week after his tube flipped along Clear Creek in Golden, leaving him stuck in the churning water before bystanders rushed in to help.

“Normally people are heavy enough that they kind of get flushed out but this was kind of a perfect storm,” said Jimmy Switzer, who was bodyboarding in the river at the time.

Switzer says the kayakers and surfers in the area didn’t realize what had happened right away. He says he noticed something bobbing in the wave and realized it was a person.

“Immediately, I knew I had to go in and save him. I’ve been in that situation where you lose your board and your body kind of gets hung up in the wave and it’s difficult to get out. Then seeing this was a little kid I just went into action,” said Switzer.

Switzer regularly records the bodyboarding sessions and had the camera rolling during the rescue.
He guesses the boy was about six or seven years old and says he was wearing a life jacket. Switzer says the boy’s guardian was nearby on a tube downstream.

“The thing I keep going back to is the look in his eyes when I got him. There was this look of relief,” said Switzer.

Switzer says he’d like to see more signage in the area explaining the dangers that come along with entering the water in that area.

“It’s not obvious what the dangers are in a river. Educate yourself to what you’re putting your kids into,” said Switzer.

The City of Golden closed access to Clear Creek within city limits through the Fourth of July holiday weekend.