In a span of three days, three people drowned at Lewisville Lake, the latest being a 19-year-old teen from Dallas who was swimming with friends on July 5 and didn’t resurface.
According to WFAA, the Highland Village Fire Department received notice of the possible drowning at approximately 4:15 p.m. and dive teams searched the area to no avail until 9:12 p.m. resuming efforts on July 6.
Previous to this incident, another 19-year-old teen drowned at Lake Lewisville while swimming in the public beach area of Lake Park on the night of July 3. According to FOX4, witnesses said they saw him swimming near a buoy without a life jacket when he went under and never came back up. As reported by WFAA, dive teams were able to pull him from the water and transferred him to Medical City Hospital for life-saving measures, but was pronounced dead later that day.
The next day, dive crews recovered the body of a 40-year-old man who swam away along with some friends from a pontoon boat anchored in the middle of the lake while celebrating Independence Day.
"What we tell people is No. 1: Know your limitations. If you're swimming and boating, know what you can and can't do and stay away from alcohol if you can, because the two don't mix," Captain Game Warden Cliff Swofford with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) told CBS. "But most importantly please, please wear a life jacket."
Ahead of the July 4 holiday, the Texas Game Wardens released a statement urging residents to stay safe while celebrating and relaxing near Texas rivers and lakes and to follow basic safety precautions.
“If you’re operating a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you’re putting people at risk,” said Cody Jones, TPWD Assistant Commander for Marine Enforcement said in an official statement. “Sadly, we see it time and time again – holiday celebrations that end in accidents or fatalities caused by unsafe boating practices.”
