Tampa snowboarder, 24, dies on Colorado slopes

The trip was planned on a whim, as a way to break free from the daily grind for a few days.

So Joshua Allen only had time to talk to his mother the night before he left for Colorado, to let her know he was going snowboarding again.

"She made him promise that he would wear his helmet," father Wayne Allen said. "He said he would."

Joshua Allen kept his promise.

But something went wrong about 11 a.m. Sunday on the powdery slopes of the Elk Run trail in Keystone, Colo. Allen was found in the trees on the intermediate-level trail. He was wearing a helmet but suffered massive head injuries, according to the Summit County Coroner's Office.

Allen, 24, who lived on Harbour Island and worked for Tampa engineering firm PCL Civil Constructors, was given advanced life support by a ski patrol from the nearby Keystone Resort.

He was taken by helicopter to a hospital, where he died from facial injuries and brain trauma, the coroner's office said.

Authorities continue to investigate.

Fourteen people, including Allen, have died in Colorado this snow season while skiing or snowboarding.

Allen and a friend who traveled with him were supposed to return to Florida on Tuesday. He left Feb. 21 for a week-long break from his job, sister Jonica Allen said.

"He loves snowboarding," Allen, 22, said. "He's been several times before."

His sister said he was "the adventurous type" and when they were children, they would play or ride all-terrain vehicles through the woods surrounding their hometown of DeLeon Springs in Volusia County.

When Joshua Allen was older, he enjoyed riding dirt bikes and sleek motorcycles, and went deep-sea fishing with his friends.

But he was also sensible.

Allen believed in working hard and saving money, Jonica Allen said. While he attended the University of Florida he worked as a server at an Olive Garden, saving cash to fund his trips.

Joshua Allen graduated from UF with honors in 2010 with a degree in civil engineering. He would later help build bridges and interstate overpasses in Tampa while he worked for PCL.

He wanted to work on construction projects in Dubai and Australia, then retire at an early age.

"He was always wanting to do new things," Jonica Allen said. "He was full of laughter. He was just amazing."

He had just accepted a new engineering job in Texas and was going to start work there in June, she said, well on his way to realizing his dream of traveling the world.

"I was very proud," Wayne Allen said. "He was a very giving person."