Tragic weekend

[jinman]

Two game wardens, three sheriff's deputies, and several firemen and rescue workers have just left my place after spending most of the night and all day today looking for the body of a drowned man who made a horrible judgement error on our lake. His life is over at the young age of 35 and he leaves a wife and four children. I didn't know him or the family, but my heart goes out to them for such a great loss.

So what happened? Many of the members here know we live on a private lake with access only to members of our community. It's about 12 acres and really not very deep, probably 10' at the deepest point when the lake is full.

Last night just about dark, visiting family members of one of our neighbors were fishing on the lake in a small boat. Two children and the 35 yr old father were in the small canoe-like boat. One of the kids caught a fish and became very excited. All the others rushed to help and tipped the boat over. They were all safe and holding onto the boat, but the father decided he was close enough to the shore to swim in. Unfortunately, the moss is very heavy in the area he tried to swim through and it caught him. He struggled and went under about 100' feet from the shore.

This is a sad story because good judgement could have saved them many times over. It's unfortunate that they did not know how to operate the boat safely nor have life jackets. It just goes to show how something can spiral out of control so fast when boating safety is ignored.

My wife and I and all our neighbors are very saddened by this tragic event. To our knowledge, this is the first life ever lost on our little lake. It's very disheartening, but life goes on. I just wanted to share the story with my TBN friends who also may have ponds. Consider how easily joy can turn to tragedy when safety is ignored.

 

[Bird]

the moss is very heavy in the area he tried to swim through and it caught him

Yes, that certainly is a tragic occurrence. I wonder how many people think you can swim, crawl, or whatever through moss and water plants. I might have thought that if I hadn't almost drowned in some moss in Lake Murray in Oklahoma when I was 10 or 12 years old. It looks like you ought to be able to swim right through it, but it doesn't work that way.

 

[tile]

Wow sorry to hear the news.

I myself would have not left with out life jackets.


Ron.

 

[texasjohn]

So sorry to hear of it..... yes, water plants can be very clingly and unexpectedly so.... hind sight is always better than foresight....

 

[Reg]

Its the panic that kills.

 

[gotrocks]

Jim, I'm so sorry to hear this news.
My prayers are with you and the family and friends of the daddy.
Too late now but, I agree, panic is what makes bad matters worse.
My God be with your community during this tragic time.
Norris

 

[txdon]

That is tragic Jim. Thanks for posting, it is a reminder of how easily a small incident can escalate to a tragic event. The lives of his family have now been forever changed and saddened.

 

[MossRoad]

Sorry to hear about that, Jinman. Very sad for the family and upsetting for you and yours, too.

I grew up on a lake. My mom made all of us take Red Cross swimming lessons. We always had a row boat tied up on the shore and were free to use it. We always had to have one lifejacket for each person and had to wear it if we were not past the Red Cross rank of Swimmer. We were never allowed to swim alone and always had to wear a lifejacket until we passed the rank of Swimmer. We didn't have to wear it after that, but we still had to take the lifejacket and keep it floating near us in case someone got tired or in trouble.

There was a beach on the lake and we all ended up getting lifeguard jobs with the city there. Some of us became Water Safety Instructors.

Over the 24 years I lived on that lake, I saw the recovery of half a dozen drowning victims, participated in a couple recoveries myself and assisted in or completed solo too many rescues to count. The feelings you have while watching a search for a victim and when they finally recover them are very sobering.

I feel for you Jinman. Never an easy thing to witness. Use the lesson to make your family safer. Take the time to teach all your family members to swim well. Most importantly, teach them to float and never panic in the water. Teach them boating safety, too. And always, always have lifejackets. Make all non and weak swimmers wear them at all times. Experienced swimmers should wear them when the boat is moving. Heck, I wear them if I am alone or if I am with just little kids. Kids get excited, boats get tippy and I could fall and bonk my head, then land in the water. Most good lifejackets that are sized properly for your weight are designed to roll you over face up.

I'll keep you in my thoughts. Hang in there.

 

[3RRL]

Jim, very sorry to read this today.
It is so unfortunate he made that decision to swim in, let alone go out onto the lake without safety gear with his family like that. Essentially, that put them in the same predicament. But like you said, one small misjudgment can lead to tragedy in a hurry.
I hope you and your community and his family can recover from it soon.

 

[Cottonhawk]

Sorry to hear the sad news.
You are absolutely right that 'safety' can not and should not be ignored!

 

[jinman]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and support. This was a stressful weekend for us, but now things have quickly calmed down and returned to normal for us. The sad part is that the family and friends of the deceased are just starting to deal with the grief of loss.

I made a point to allow the emergency workers onto my land for access to the lake, but to stay completely out of their way. Last night, Kathy and I went down to the lake to do a quick cleanup of anything they might have left behind. There was nothing. They didn't leave a single piece of trash or even a water bottle. It was as if they had never been there. The lake was calm and one person was fishing on the far bank. It's strange how quickly things return to nomal. Maybe that's a blessing.

 

[MrWoodChips]

Yes, that certainly is a tragic occurrence. I wonder how many people think you can swim, crawl, or whatever through moss and water plants. I might have thought that if I hadn't almost drowned in some moss in Lake Murray in Oklahoma when I was 10 or 12 years old. It looks like you ought to be able to swim right through it, but it doesn't work that way.

It is a tragic thing to happen. A similar thing happened in a park near us when several people died in some weeds. That lake is now closed to swimming completely.

I'd suggest it is an issue of keeping your wits about you. It is too easy to get confused or panic when you feel the weeds on your legs. Remain floating. If you know how to float on the water, then you can float in the weeds. Use a breast stroke to open up a path through the weeds/junk. Pull yourself through it, rather than kicking your legs at all. Kicking will only tangle your legs in the weeds, creating more panic. Of course, a life jacket is of supreme importance for anyone who is not completely comfortable in the water. I am, and I wear a life jacket in our boat anyway.

I've gone through heavy weeds/algae before, pulling a small sailboat (complete with passenger, but with centerboard up) through our heavy junk near shore to get to open water.

John

 

[pennwalk]

When bad things happen I try to see if I can learn anything. In so many cases if the person had only been wearing their life preserver they would still be with us. There seem to be plenty of reasons not to wear them,I'm a good swimmer, it is too hot, they chafe, I left it in the car. You can buy automatic inflatable vests. They are light, easy to wear and don't look too silly. Sure they cost but if you ever need it it would be cheap. Save a life, buy them and wear them.

Chris

 

[N80]

Totally agree about life jackets. But still have to wonder if something else was going on. I've got a 10 acre lake and it is often choked with pond weeds. We swim in it all the time. And the weeds can slow you down and make swimming really hard......but they don't make it hard to float....and I'm a skinny guy so I don't float all that well to begin with.

Makes me wonder about two possibilities. 1) Heart attack. Did the weeds, swimming and excitment cause him to have an MI? Was he heavy, smoker, in bad shape? 2) Pure panic and forgot to just float or tread water? I can see this happening with the weeds slowing you down, progress stops, muscles burning and exhausted and then panicing to the point where you forget to just stop struggling and float...or even just stand up...people drown in water that isn't over their head sometimes.

In any case, its just pure speculation and doesn't change a thing. A life jacket would have made the difference. Not leaving the boat would have made the difference, especially if you are in poor physical shape. Moral of the story is still the same....but remembering not to panic is important too.

 

[dmccarty]

That is a very sad event. Really feel for the kids and wife. Especally that they had to witness his death.

Every spring we have a couple of drownings due to the cold water. The air temp can be in the 80s or even 90s but the water is still in the 50s. The "rule" I have read is that 50 yards from shore, 50 degree water temps, 50/50 chance of making it to land.

A few people every spring don't make it.

Horrible event. And afterwards there is no lingering sign that it happened. Just the invisible scars that the family will carry.

So Sad.

Later,
Dan

 

[AlanB]

Sorry it happened Jim, but thanks for posting it. It should serve as a reminder for all of us as far as safety is concerned. It can all go so wrong, so fast.

 

[jinman]

Link to local newspaper story.

Wise County Messenger