Drowning at Lake Tapps claims life of teen boy
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LAKE TAPPS, Wash. - A teenage boy died on Saturday after jumping into Lake Tapps during a family picnic and losing consciousness, officials said.
Sgt. Mike Blair with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said the family was having a barbecue at the popular lake when the 17-year-old boy jumped into the water to retrieve a football.
Witnesses said he began bobbing up and down in the water and "they could see he was in distress," Blair said. He then disappeared below the surface of the water.
Other family members swam out to where he was last seen but couldn't find him.
They then notified the crew of a Pierce County marine service boat that happened to be at a nearby boat launch at about 5:45 p.m. The crew was at the site where the boy was last seen within 11 minutes.
The teen eventually was found and pulled out of the water, and medics began performing CPR on him. He later was pronounced dead.
Blair said the water below the surface of Lake Tapps can be very cold, and that may have contributed to the boy's distress after he went into the lake.
Sgt. Mike Blair with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said the family was having a barbecue at the popular lake when the 17-year-old boy jumped into the water to retrieve a football.
Witnesses said he began bobbing up and down in the water and "they could see he was in distress," Blair said. He then disappeared below the surface of the water.
Other family members swam out to where he was last seen but couldn't find him.
They then notified the crew of a Pierce County marine service boat that happened to be at a nearby boat launch at about 5:45 p.m. The crew was at the site where the boy was last seen within 11 minutes.
The teen eventually was found and pulled out of the water, and medics began performing CPR on him. He later was pronounced dead.
Blair said the water below the surface of Lake Tapps can be very cold, and that may have contributed to the boy's distress after he went into the lake.
