Warmer weather leads to increase in drownings, water rescues
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SEATTLE -- A recent mini-heat wave has more and more people heading to local lakes and rivers, and that's meant a spike in drowning.
The Leschi dock is a popular swimming spot when the sun is shining over Seattle, but the water can still be treacherous.
A high school student found that out the hard way.
Bart Evans, owner of the Bluwater Bistro, arrived at his restaurant Wednesday just as a frantic rescue effort began for a drowning teenager.
"One of their buddies jumped off and never came up," Evans said.
Classmates tried to help but couldn't, so Evans dove right in and pulled the 15-year-old out of the water.
"I jumped off the top, and luckily it was probably 17 feet down. He was just on the bottom," Evans said.
Medics say the boy was unconscious but had a pulse as they rushed him to the hospital.
It was just the latest in a recent string of accidents in the water.
A rescue turned into a recovery effort for a 16-year old who struggled to stay afloat in a flooded gravel pit near Burlington Wednesday evening.
Several teens had jumped into the pond, even though swimming isn't allowed at the site.
Near Rochester, search teams finally recovered the body of a teenager who disappeared while trying to cross the Chehalis River.
On Saturday, Everett City Council member Drew Nielson drowned when his raft flipped on the Green River. He was pinned beneath the boat and wasn't able to get to the surface.
A 12-foot boat capsized near Everett on Monday. Rescuers saved one man who treaded water for an hour, but his friend has yet to be found.
Rescue teams say local lakes and rivers may look inviting, but looks can be deceiving.
"They give the appearance of being nice and calm but they're really quite swift and can be uncontrollable and quite dangerous," said Lt. Lanette Dyer.
The Leschi dock is a popular swimming spot when the sun is shining over Seattle, but the water can still be treacherous.
A high school student found that out the hard way.
Bart Evans, owner of the Bluwater Bistro, arrived at his restaurant Wednesday just as a frantic rescue effort began for a drowning teenager.
"One of their buddies jumped off and never came up," Evans said.
Classmates tried to help but couldn't, so Evans dove right in and pulled the 15-year-old out of the water.
"I jumped off the top, and luckily it was probably 17 feet down. He was just on the bottom," Evans said.
Medics say the boy was unconscious but had a pulse as they rushed him to the hospital.
It was just the latest in a recent string of accidents in the water.
A rescue turned into a recovery effort for a 16-year old who struggled to stay afloat in a flooded gravel pit near Burlington Wednesday evening.
Several teens had jumped into the pond, even though swimming isn't allowed at the site.
Near Rochester, search teams finally recovered the body of a teenager who disappeared while trying to cross the Chehalis River.
On Saturday, Everett City Council member Drew Nielson drowned when his raft flipped on the Green River. He was pinned beneath the boat and wasn't able to get to the surface.
A 12-foot boat capsized near Everett on Monday. Rescuers saved one man who treaded water for an hour, but his friend has yet to be found.
Rescue teams say local lakes and rivers may look inviting, but looks can be deceiving.
"They give the appearance of being nice and calm but they're really quite swift and can be uncontrollable and quite dangerous," said Lt. Lanette Dyer.
