Divers have recovered the body of an 18-year-old fisherman who was pulled under the water while fishing in Dallas over the weekend.
The young man went fishing with his father Sunday afternoon at Mountain Creek Lake Dam, near South Merrifield Road and Keeneland Parkway.
According to officers, a witness who called 911 reported seeing the father and son fishing in a shallow part of the water near the spillway when the young man went underwater and never resurfaced, per NBC 5 DFW.
Police arrived at the scene shortly after 4 p.m. Rescue efforts ensued as the spillway was temporarily shut down. Dallas Fire-Rescue, the Dallas Police Department, and the Game Warden’s Office searched for hours using boats, sonar equipment, and drones.
The search was suspended Sunday evening but resumed Monday morning. The body was discovered at around 10:30 a.m. and has been transported to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation. An official cause of death and formal identification are thus still pending.
May is National Water Safety Month, with public authorities, nonprofits, and more striving to bring greater awareness to reduce drowning accidents and encourage best practices as summer heats up and water recreation activities become more popular.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental drowning death rates are trending upward, with male victims being twice as common as female ones in 2019. A leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, drowning has been occurring more frequently in this age group — rising 28.9% between 2019 and 2021.
A survey conducted by the American Red Cross found that around 54% of Americans can’t swim or have not mastered the basics of swimming, such as treading water for at least one minute, being able to rotate in a full circle, or swimming for at least 25 yards.