A 22-month old boy died of an apparent drowning in a northern Indiana lake over the Fourth of July weekend.
His death was the latest drowning in the state as more people hit the water with summer in full swing. But despite this year’s growing list of fatalities on the water, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said that 2022 has not been an anomaly so far. DNR statistics show 61 drowning deaths in 2020 and 50 in 2021.
“As things get hot and the water warms up and people get out on the water to stay cool, that’s when we’re gonna see this uptick in drownings,” Lt. Angela Goldman of the DNR said. “This year is no different – we’re starting to see them across the state, all the way from Lake Michigan all the way down to the Ohio River.”
Drownings can occur for many reasons. Not all who die are poor swimmers.
“Some of them have been where one person was struggling and the other jumped in to save them, to where they jumped in and the life jacket wasn’t secured,” said Goldman. “So, every drowning is different. We’ve got drownings in retention ponds, drownings in swimming pools, and certainly drownings out on these big recreational waters.”
Goldman said the best way to prevent drowning is to wear a life jacket, even for competent swimmers.
“There’s all kinds of reasons where you could cramp or for whatever reason not swim properly. So, if you’re going to be in that water, wear a life jacket. That is the number one way to save lives from drowning and from any kind of water-related death.”
