Series of water deaths strike America’s lakes

Series of water deaths strike America’s lakes

June 11, 2024 / Kevin harson /


This spring has seen a spate of people dying in the water, with official data showing drowning deaths on the rise.

There have been 210 drownings this year, 45 of which were children under the age of five, according to the organization End Drowning Now.

Local news outlets have reported on some of the recent tragedies, including when 42-year-old Matthew Atchley died trying to save his 14-year-old son Tyler from drowning in Lake Anna, in eastern Virginia. They had been on vacation for Memorial Day weekend when Atchley “jumped into the lake to save his son” on May 25, according to a fundraiser set up for the rest of the family, from Harborcreek, Pennsylvania.

“It was reported that witnesses observed the father struggling, just before losing sight of him as well,” Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement the next day.

Multiple reports said that several bystanders went into the water to try and help, but they were unsuccessful.

Last week, a 65-year-old was found face-down at Lake Winnipesaukee’s Carry Beach in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, according to Boston.com.

The outlet reported that this was an apparent drowning, after the Marine Patrol Unit said the death wasn’t being treated as suspicious.

A file photo of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. A 65-year-old man died in a suspected drowning in the lake last week.

Getty

Just a few days ago, Robbie Cornelius, from the city of Marietta, Georgia, died after he fell off a tube in Lake Allatoona on June 9.

The 40-year-old had been tubing with a group that rented a boat and wasn’t wearing a life jacket, they said.

Authorities used a side scan sonar, which creates images of large areas of the water’s floor, to try and find Cornelius, and his body was discovered in 16 feet of water.

It all comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that drowning deaths are on the rise in the U.S.

The Vital Signs study, released on May 14, shows that 500 more people died from drowning per year from 2020 to 2022 compared to 2019.

Almost 40 million adults in the U.S. (15.4 per cent) don’t know how to swim, with more than half (54.7 per cent) having never taken a swimming lesson.

Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry said: “I’ve seen firsthand the effects of drowning: families forced to say goodbye to their loved ones too soon.

“CDC’s drowning prevention experts collected high-quality drowning data to better understand how we can protect people in communities across the United States.

“Understanding the barriers people face to accessing basic swimming and water safety skills training can help us better understand how to address those barriers, decrease drowning rates, and save lives.”

Many lakes and reservoirs across the U.S. have reached full capacity – or near full capacity – after the last two especially wet winters.

This has happened to such an extent that several lakes that have been cause for concern amid prolonged drought conditions have reached full capacity for the first time in years, including Lake Tahoe, straddling the border between California and Nevada.