Moab man drowns in Colorado River while trying to save child

MOAB, Utah – Utah officials say a 70-year-old Moab man drowned during a family trip to the Colorado River after he tried to save a young relative.

A news release by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office says James Laverne Gregoire was attempting to bring a child back to safety, when he was heard yelling that he was having cramps before going underwater. A dive team from the Moab Fire Department retrieved Gregoire’s body on Wednesday from a depth of 10 feet (3 metres), about 30 feet (9 metres) away from the shore of a beach near Moab, where his family had been.

Officials say the child had been wearing a floatation device and reached the shore safely.