lake_buddy
07-19-2010, 07:16 AM
Body of toddler recovered near San Luis Pass
from Chron.com this morning
A 2-year-old boy drowned Sunday — swept away in the current of the San Luis Pass as he tried to wash his hands in the water, authorities said.
The toddler’s family came to the area from Stafford for a picnic on the beach under the San Luis Pass Bridge, which connects Brazoria and Galveston counties, said Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office investigator Stephen Buchanan.
Around 3:25 p.m., the boy asked his mother for some potato chips. She told him to go wash his hands in the water, Buchanan said. When she looked back toward the shore, the child — who was not wearing a life jacket — was gone.
“I believe he either slipped and fell or was knocked over by a wave,” Buchanan said. “Somehow he lost his footing and that current just took him straight out.”
About an hour later, the boy’s body was recovered by a Coast Guard crew about a quarter of a mile past the shore, near the bend of the pass, Buchanan said.
Boater helps rescuers
Jeff Isel, a 52-year-old North Texas resident, was jet skiing in the area with his 14-year-old son when he spotted the Coast Guard helicopter circling the water.
Isel watched one of the Coast Guard crew members jump in the water to pull out the boy.
When their rescue boat became stuck, Isel rode his jet ski over to help. The rescuer handed him the child.
“I put the baby on my shoulder,” he said. “He was like a little rag doll.”
Crews administered CPR, but were unable to revive the boy, who was pronounced dead at the Coast Guard Freeport Station.
“It was shocking,” Isel said. “To see a little boy with his face all blue and foam gushing from his mouth.”
The San Luis Pass is known for its dangerous currents.
“Every time you go over that bridge, you can look out onto that current and it looks like a washing machine,” Buchanan said.
Several swimmers and fisherman have drowned in the waters over the years. Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis estimates at least one person a year has drowned in the last 15 years.
Cameras survey area
A Galveston city ordinance prohibits swimming in those waters and signs posted along the beach warn of the dangerous currents.
A camera system has also been installed on the bridge to monitor the current and patrol units watch the area on the weekend to make sure there are no swimmers, Davis said.
Buchanan urged both adults and children in the area to always wear life jackets around the water.
“Don’t take any chances,” he said. “We’ve got a mom and a dad now without their baby.”
from Chron.com this morning
A 2-year-old boy drowned Sunday — swept away in the current of the San Luis Pass as he tried to wash his hands in the water, authorities said.
The toddler’s family came to the area from Stafford for a picnic on the beach under the San Luis Pass Bridge, which connects Brazoria and Galveston counties, said Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office investigator Stephen Buchanan.
Around 3:25 p.m., the boy asked his mother for some potato chips. She told him to go wash his hands in the water, Buchanan said. When she looked back toward the shore, the child — who was not wearing a life jacket — was gone.
“I believe he either slipped and fell or was knocked over by a wave,” Buchanan said. “Somehow he lost his footing and that current just took him straight out.”
About an hour later, the boy’s body was recovered by a Coast Guard crew about a quarter of a mile past the shore, near the bend of the pass, Buchanan said.
Boater helps rescuers
Jeff Isel, a 52-year-old North Texas resident, was jet skiing in the area with his 14-year-old son when he spotted the Coast Guard helicopter circling the water.
Isel watched one of the Coast Guard crew members jump in the water to pull out the boy.
When their rescue boat became stuck, Isel rode his jet ski over to help. The rescuer handed him the child.
“I put the baby on my shoulder,” he said. “He was like a little rag doll.”
Crews administered CPR, but were unable to revive the boy, who was pronounced dead at the Coast Guard Freeport Station.
“It was shocking,” Isel said. “To see a little boy with his face all blue and foam gushing from his mouth.”
The San Luis Pass is known for its dangerous currents.
“Every time you go over that bridge, you can look out onto that current and it looks like a washing machine,” Buchanan said.
Several swimmers and fisherman have drowned in the waters over the years. Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis estimates at least one person a year has drowned in the last 15 years.
Cameras survey area
A Galveston city ordinance prohibits swimming in those waters and signs posted along the beach warn of the dangerous currents.
A camera system has also been installed on the bridge to monitor the current and patrol units watch the area on the weekend to make sure there are no swimmers, Davis said.
Buchanan urged both adults and children in the area to always wear life jackets around the water.
“Don’t take any chances,” he said. “We’ve got a mom and a dad now without their baby.”