A Fraser family is mourning the loss of thier son after a tragic Fourth of July accident along the Colorado River.

Grand County Utah officials say 17-year-old who Timothy Rau of Fraser, Colorado, drowned after the raft he was in flipped.

It happened around 1 p.m. Saturday in the Westwater Canyon area.
Kayakers tried to save the boy but were unsuccessful.

A friend of the family tells 11News that Rau suffered from a rare neuro-degenerative disease that is eventually fatal.