2FORCEFULL
07-22-2017, 10:01 AM
A married couple from California drowned in Lake Havasu Friday afternoon when the husband jumped into the water to rescue his wife who was struggling to swim, police said.
Authorities are not releasing the names of the two victims until their families can be notified, Mohave County Sheriffs Office Waterways Sgt. Kyler Cox said.
The couple was out on the lake boating and tubing with family that day, and then went swimming near Crazy Horse Campgrounds where the incident occurred
?The female began struggling in the water and wasn?t wearing a life jacket. The male jumped in and tried to rescue her, and during that they both ended up drowning,? Cox said.
There were five people on the boat, including a 9-year-old girl and a 7-month-old infant. One of the occupants flagged down another boat that happened to have several off-duty California police officers on board. They began performing CPR on the woman, who was later brought to the docks at Crazy Horse Campgrounds and pronounced dead by paramedics after they also attempted CPR.
Lake Havasu City Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Quijada said there was a communication barrier between the mostly Spanish-speaking family and authorities.
?There was a small child on the boat,? Quijada said while on the scene. ?The child barely spoke any English, but that child was the only one who did. In talking to the child, we found out that there was a second victim in the water.?
The victim, later identified to be the female victim?s husband, was recovered by Lake Havasu City Police and San Bernardino County Sheriff?s divers.
Cox said the water in the area was approximately 6 to 15 feet deep. He added that alcohol is suspected to be involved in the incident, but authorities are awaiting autopsy results.
?The biggest thing to remember is like we preach constantly. Wear your life jackets,? Cox said. ?Neither of these people were wearing their life jackets when they jumped in the water, but there?s a lot of unknowns in the water.?
It?s the second fatal incident in Lake Havasu this summer. Last month, a Los Angeles woman died when the boat she was riding in crashed near Body Beach
Authorities are not releasing the names of the two victims until their families can be notified, Mohave County Sheriffs Office Waterways Sgt. Kyler Cox said.
The couple was out on the lake boating and tubing with family that day, and then went swimming near Crazy Horse Campgrounds where the incident occurred
?The female began struggling in the water and wasn?t wearing a life jacket. The male jumped in and tried to rescue her, and during that they both ended up drowning,? Cox said.
There were five people on the boat, including a 9-year-old girl and a 7-month-old infant. One of the occupants flagged down another boat that happened to have several off-duty California police officers on board. They began performing CPR on the woman, who was later brought to the docks at Crazy Horse Campgrounds and pronounced dead by paramedics after they also attempted CPR.
Lake Havasu City Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Quijada said there was a communication barrier between the mostly Spanish-speaking family and authorities.
?There was a small child on the boat,? Quijada said while on the scene. ?The child barely spoke any English, but that child was the only one who did. In talking to the child, we found out that there was a second victim in the water.?
The victim, later identified to be the female victim?s husband, was recovered by Lake Havasu City Police and San Bernardino County Sheriff?s divers.
Cox said the water in the area was approximately 6 to 15 feet deep. He added that alcohol is suspected to be involved in the incident, but authorities are awaiting autopsy results.
?The biggest thing to remember is like we preach constantly. Wear your life jackets,? Cox said. ?Neither of these people were wearing their life jackets when they jumped in the water, but there?s a lot of unknowns in the water.?
It?s the second fatal incident in Lake Havasu this summer. Last month, a Los Angeles woman died when the boat she was riding in crashed near Body Beach