VENICE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 28-year-old man was rushed to a
hospital in grave condition Thursday after nearly drowning in the waters off
Venice Beach.
Los Angeles Fire Department
officials responded to a possible drowning near Tower 19 in the 1900 block of
Ocean Front Walk at about 6:19 p.m.
The unidentified man was pulled
from the water by lifeguards following a 30-minute search and carried across
the sand into an ambulance. Emergency responders immediately began performing
chest compressions.
Chris Linkletter of the Los
Angeles County Fire Lifeguard Division says the man had entered the water with
two other friends, and the three shortly became trapped in a rip current.
"They were able to get to
two of the victims, the third one submerged as lifeguards arrived,"
Linkletter said.
The victim was transported to
Marina Del Rey Hospital, where he was listed in grave condition.
Lifeguards says the victim's
story should be a warning to beachgoers about rip currents and other dangers.
"This coming weekend, Labor
Day weekend, we're due for some bigger surf which means more rip currents,
lateral currents," Linkletter said.
Dramatic GoPro video shot by
California lifeguards shows a woman struggling to stay afloat in the waters off
the coast of Huntington Beach last weekend.
"You really need to know
when to call it quits. If the waves look too big, you feel like you could be
challenged out there, stay in close to shore," said Huntington Beach
Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis.
Lifeguards reported more than
1,200 rescues last weekend statewide. "We really need the public when they
come down to the beach to check in with the lifeguards and find out the best
place to swim," Linkletter said.
The National Weather Service says
rip currents can move up to eight feet per second. If you get caught in one,
don't fight it, swim parallel to the shore and head back to land at an angle.
Source - ABC7 NEWS
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