By Alexander Morrison
Editor, Roosevelt News
This article first appeared in the Roosevelt High School student newspaper in Seattle. It is reprinted with permission of Alexander Morrison, a Roosevelt senior and newspaper editor. The Seattle-King County Drowning Prevention Coalition thanks Alex for this contribution to drowning prevention.
Slow suffocation -- your lungs become filled with water. The intense burning in your chest fades away as you slip into unconsciousness and to your death -- drowning.
It is the second leading cause of death in Washington State for youths aged ten to 24; every year about 130 state residents drown; last year 18 people drowned in King County alone.
These figures include Nicholas Burnet, 18, voted "most athletic boy" in his senior class, drowned 15 feet from shore after attempting to swim the length of Lake Fenwick, and Justin White, 10, found drowned after his parents had left him alone in Bitter Lake for a few minutes.
Most people drown because of a lack of knowledge and respect for Washington waters according to Anthony Gomez, head of King County drowning prevention.
Many people do not realize how quickly these waters, cold on even the warmest day, sap a swimmer's strength. A swimmer in Washington rivers and lakes often uses 28 times the energy that he would in a typical swimming pool; continual exposure to this water, even under the July sun, can make him hypothermic in 15 to 30 minutes.
Also, many people, young men especially, overestimate their swimrrung ability and attempt actions that are overly ambitious or poorly planned-for example, swimming across a lake or out to a buoy without a life preserver or boat escort.
According to Gomez, "These youths don't realize that there is a risk. They feel that they're strong swimmers, but they aren't taking all of the factors into account. You wouldn't go play tennis on the freeway--well, swimming in cold, unlifeguarded waters can be just as dangerous."
Such was the case for Jeremy Johns as he went for a swim in Lake Washington last June. After swimming half way out to a buoy with some friends, he became tired. He turned around to go back but he did not get far before his legs froze. Though not particularly asthmatic, Jerem' suffered an asthma attack brought on by over exertion in cold water.
Jeremy screamed for help and tried to stay afloat by rapidly moving his arms. Most, of the people on shore thought he was joking.
"There wasn't anything I could do," remembers Jeremy. "I thought I was going to die."
He was saved by three youths who managed to reach him before his arms gave out and he became fully submerged. Safe on shore, Jeremy turned blue from hypothermia and went into shock; he had to be hospitalized for several hours but made a full recovery.
Jeremy was incredibly lucky. Not only did he not sink rapidly as most swimmers do when they run out of energy, but also help came swiftly, a rare occurrence in areas without lifeguards.
Had Jeremy been less fortunate and been submerged for even a few minutes before help arrived, the help probably would have done little good. Brain damage often results from even short periods of time without oxygen. Death follows soon after. There is little that even the most aggressive modem medicine can do for such cases.
Finally, alcohol is always extremely dangerous when consumed on water. It distorts judgment, making the above scenarios far more likely.
For release: April 14, 1999