Iowa man perishes in accident on Brush Creek

Rescuers recover remains on Wednesday

The body of an Iowa man was recovered from Brush Creek Wednesday afternoon, July 2, concluding a search that began Tuesday after his two brothers and a friend discovered that he had been swept downstream while trying to recover his overturned ATV. 

The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Zachariah McClellan of Cherokee, Iowa.
According to Mt. Crested Butte police chief Hank Smith, the four had gone into the mountains to ride early in the day and had successfully crossed the stream, only to find that it had swollen and become impassable upon their return.
As the other members of McClellan’s party searched for an alternate river crossing, he stayed in place. Later McClellan apparently attempted to cross Brush Creek on his own when his ATV was overturned by the force of the rushing water, pinning him underneath.
“We found his shirt that had been most likely torn off by a foot peg or something, and then there was a backpack and other things on the opposite shore. So we know he initially made it out,” says Smith. “Then we think he went back in for his winch to get the ATV out, and that is when he was swept downstream.”
After noticing that McClellan was missing from the scene and the ATV was still capsized in the creek, one of the other members of the group crossed the river and drove to Highway 135 and was able to call for help at approximately 5 p.m.  
Smith says when the other party member called they believed McClellan could still be alive. The Crested Butte Search and Rescue team responded aloing with law enforcement.
“At that point we still thought there was a chance that this was a rescue operation… We searched until dark and it became evident that this would be a recovery instead of a rescue,” says Smith.
Early Wednesday morning the search resumed, with 17 rescuers from across the region, including three in kayaks, scouring the river from the site of the incident all the way to Crested Butte South. Smith says, the extreme river conditions presented a serious hazard for the team.
“At one point an officer had been looking at a strainer about a quarter mile from the scene and he became convinced that we should cut it out with chainsaws and tow ropes,” he says. The officer was proven correct and the body was recovered at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Smith encourages caution around local creeks and rivers. “This is high water time and that water is powerful and relentless and unless you know what you’re doing around high water it’s best just to stay away,” says Smith.