Grand County Coroner’s Office identifies victims of avalanche near Pumphouse Lake
Sky-Hi News
Mike Duffy/Avalanche1.com
The Grand County Coroner’s Office has identified the two men who died while snowmobiling in an avalanche on Corona Pass in the area of Mount Epworth and Pumphouse Lake on Saturday, Jan. 7.
The coroner’s office identified the first victim as 58-year-old Bruce Dejong from northern Colorado. The second victim was 52-year-old Darrin Kaderka, from the Loveland area.
The avalanche slid near Pumphouse Lake and the east face Mount Epworth at approximately 2 p.m., according to a preliminary report by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The avalanche buried and killed both men. The center stated a final report on the accident is expected within the next week.
Stefan Crumley of Denver has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser in honor of Dejong.
“He was one of the kindest and most loving people, always searching for adventure,” Crumley wrote on the GoFundMe page. “After deciding to leave his hometown of Springfield, South Dakota he started a life in Colorado where he eventually had a beautiful daughter Danielle who meant the world to him.”
The family of Kaderka has asked for those wishing to honor him to make a donation to Grand County Search and Rescue in lieu of flowers or gifts, according to an online obituary.
This story is from SkyHiNews.com.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.
Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.
Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.
