The summer sun is lazily sitting high in the sky, signaling that summer is in full swing. This not only means intense heat and humidity, it also means many people are spending time in lakes and pools.
The downfall of swimming is it can lead to tragedy. Many people drown while swimming.
There have been multiple drownings in the past few months in the Lake Texoma area.
The most recent drowning occurred on June 8 in Wilson Creek. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said that Dale Faulkenberry, a 53-year-old male from Marietta, was driving a 2000 Lowe flat bottom boat at around 3:00 p.m. It was then reported that Faulkenberry and his passenger were thrown overboard.
Both boaters attempted to swim to shore. Unfortunately, Faulkenberry became unconscious and the passenger pulled him to the shore. Faulkenberry was transported to AllianceHealth Madill and was pronounced dead.
Tragedy struck the Texoma area on May 26 and May 28. Douglas Terrell, a 30-year-old from Terrell, Texas drowned on May 26 in Pottsboro, Texas. Witnesses said that Terrell was swimming, then began to struggle. They said they saw him go under but never resurface. Officials recovered his body later that night.
Jordan Gladfelter, a 28-year-old male from Lone Grove, drowned in Lake Murray on May 26. It was reported that Gladfelter was swimming out to Elephant Rock, went over and never resurfaced. His body was later found approximately 200 feet from Elephant Rock.
Another tragedy recently struck in Colbert. The Colbert Dive Team received reports about Zach Doyle disappearing near Sunset Cove at 7:00 p.m. on June 17. Officials recovered his body on June 20.
With all of the water-related tragedies, one must wonder why such a thing occurs? There are multiple reasons why somebody would drown.
Many times, swimmers don’t give the water the respect it deserves. Since the water is typically dark, the swimmer is unaware of what lies underneath. Many times, swimmers run across tree trunks, tree limbs and other treacherous items under the water.
When the swimmer runs across these items, they go under because they’re not expecting it. Another dangerous thing that lurks under the water is undercurrents. Many swimmers don’t know how to fight against undercurrents.
Reports show that the way people float can be dangerous, as well. Even though the human body is lighter than water and should float by default, people typically float face down. Also, when swimmers panic, they run out of energy and eventually inhale water into their lungs. People with all the air blown out of their lungs and when the lungs fill with water, they sink.
Other factors that can cause swimmers to drown are alcohol use, drug use, health issues, minimal swim training or a complete lack of training, and lack of supervision when discussing children.
There are multiple ways to prevent swimmers from drowning. Swimmers who learn basic swimming and water safety skills can reduce drowning significantly, avoid alcohol, wear a life jacket, always supervise closely, learn CPR, use the buddy system and know the risks.