Employee Dies At Boulder Open Space

BOULDER, CO -- A 29-year-old employee of Boulder County Parks and Open Space was found dead on a trail at Heil Valley Ranch Thursday.

The unidentified man was reported absent from a work assignment up the trail around 11:06 a.m. Thursday. After rescuers and colleagues went to search, the man was found by a co-worker approximately three-quarters of a mile up from the trailhead near the quarry. He was unresponsive, and after 30 minutes of CPR and life saving measures, he was pronounced dead on-scene.

"It is believed he was hiking back down to the trailhead and tripped, fell and sustained head trauma. At this time, it is believed this was an accidental death, no foul play is suspected," a statement from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

Agencies that responded to the scene were: Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Lefthand Fire Protection District, North Colorado Med Evac and AMR ambulance.

The identity of the victim will not be released until family members have been notified. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Coroner’s Office, the sheriff's office said.

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