Man died suddenly in front of his son while hiking on popular Colorado Springs trail
A man died while hiking the well-known Manitou Incline route in Colorado, accompanied by his 9-year-old son and a group of scouts.
Nick Jogolev, the father of a large family, died Saturday after suffering a medical emergency while ascending the Manitou Incline, a popular trail west of Colorado Springs, while he was with his 9-year-old son.
The route, known for its physical demand, has 2,768 steps and attracts approximately 250,000 visitors a year.
His wife, Coral Jogolev, told Fox21 that the man began to feel ill near step number 900 while he was accompanied by his son Sasha.
Witnesses tried to help him
The family explained that a hiker noticed Jogolev was extremely pale and offered him a sports drink.
“They offered him Gatorade, he took the Gatorade, he got up and that was it,” Coral told local media.
The woman assured that her husband was a healthy person, he did not smoke or consume alcohol and had previously trained for the walk with the Cub Scout group with which he was participating that day.
He also noted that there were hikers who were medics near the site, as well as a military paramedic and emergency teams.
“If anyone could have saved him, they were there,” he said.
So far, authorities have not officially revealed the cause of death as the family awaits autopsy results.
The Colorado Springs website describes the Manitou Incline as a “high physical impact” experience and a cardiovascular-intensive hike.
The family faces a difficult time
Jogolev was the father of seven children. According to his wife, three were the couple's biological children, while they also cared for two children from a previous relationship and had guardianship of two nieces.
The family indicated that he worked in the area of computer technology while Coral remained at home caring for one of the children with special needs.
Friends of the family created a GoFundMe campaign to help them financially after the tragedy. The collection already exceeds $60,000 dollars.
The wife also revealed that the family's two eldest children were recently facing another family loss, due to the death of Coral's ex-partner just ten days earlier.