A father of two has lost his life in Lake Michigan in an attempt to rescue his children from a deadly rip current. The children, aged 12 and 17, were retrieved and assisted back to shore by a first responder.
The 44-year-old father from Lakeville, Indiana, was visiting Lions Park Beach in St. Joseph with his kids on July 30 when the outing took a tragic turn. Four swimmers, including the father’s two children, went into the water and got caught in an undertow, St. Joseph Public Safety Department said in a statement.
“On Thursday July 30, 2020 8:08 p.m. officers from the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety were dispatched to Lions Park Beach for the report of a water rescue in Lake Michigan,” they explained. “Upon arrival four individuals were struggling in the water.”
Officer Fabian Weber was able to reach two of the swimmers, Meghan Lynch and Vincent Ball, on a surfboard, proceeded to pull the swimmers onto the board, and returned them to the safety of the shore.
“The 17 and 12-year-old were rescued by St. Joseph Reserve Officer Everett Gaston,” the safety department said. “However, the 44-year-old male drowned while trying to save his children.”
The father was pulled from the water but was later pronounced dead at Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph. The authorities made the decision not to release his name to the media before notifying his extended family of the incident.
On the day the father of two lost his life, southeastern Michigan beaches had received a “high swim risk” warning from the National Weather Service of Northern Indiana and had planted red warning flags by the water in response.
A 13-year-old girl disappeared near Warren Dunes, and a 25-year-old man went missing near New Buffalo on the same day.
