ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, Md. — An 18-year-old male died while swimming near the southern end of the Chincoteague Beach parking lot on July 24, according to a statement by the National Park Service.
The statement read:
“At 4:15 p.m. on July 24, a relative ran down the beach and told the lifeguards that two swimmers were struggling in the water, well offshore. One was successfully rescued, the other was pulled from the water, unconscious, unresponsive, at which point CPR was immediately begun. The 18-year-old male was then transported via ambulance and pronounced deceased upon arrival at [the] hospital.
Although the area of the incident is 150 yards south of the lifeguarded zone of the seashore, on-duty lifeguards responded quickly and assisted with the search. Park law enforcement assisted with the effort alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife law enforcement, contracted lifeguards and the state of Virginia.”
Earlier this month, Maryland Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen penned a letter to the National Park Service, urging them to hire the lifeguards that were in the approved budget. They argued that leaving sections of the beach without lifeguards was unsafe for swimmers and that using nearby lifeguards and local first responders was inadequate.
“These ad hoc measures are unacceptable; drownings happen in minutes, and there is no substitute for attentive lifeguards specifically assigned to monitoring water safety at Assateague,” the senators wrote.
For visual purposes, 150 yards is about 1.5 football fields away. So even the closest lifeguards in the situation would be challenged to get to swimmers on time. And when it comes to drowning, where oxygen levels diminish rapidly, the difference between a near miss and a fatality can be a matter of seconds.
Assateague National Seashore has beaches in both Maryland and Virginia. The state parks on both sides have lifeguards this year, and Virginia lawmakers are using their own services to add lifeguards to some parts of the Virginia side of the national seashore. But the National Park Service cautions swimmers to stay close to shore and be mindful of winds and currents that can sweep them out of the lifeguard zone without realizing it. The Maryland side of the national seashore remains without lifeguards.
Got a tip or photo? Text us at 888-871-NEWS (6397) or email news@thebaynet.com.
Join The BayNet Membership for exclusive perks and zero ads.
Don’t miss a story—sign up for our newsletter!
