‘It’s kind of scary’: Families celebrating Father’s Day at North Beach, WI, keep close watch on kids after multiple drowning reports
By Gabriella Bachara
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RACINE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Multiple reports of drownings at Lake Michigan over the weekend reminded parents to keep kids close and safe while in the water.
A ten-year-old girl died and a 17-year-old boy is in critical condition following two separate drowning incidents on the same stretch of beach in Racine on Saturday evening, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
Families celebrating Father’s Day at North Beach on Sunday kept their kids a little closer after hearing those reports.
“It’s kind of scary. Now, I’m more hesitant about letting the kids go a little bit further out. Now, they have to stay closer to me,” Marisela Aguilar, a parent, said.
There isn’t a lifeguard on duty at Zoo Beach, where a ten-year-old girl drowned on Saturday evening, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
“Somehow she encountered some kind of strong undercurrent or perhaps rip current. She was pulled into deeper water. She couldn’t swim. The people she was with could not swim either,” Sgt. Michael Luell said.
Luell said even if you know how to swim, a body of water this size can bring challenges. Anyone going into the water needs to be prepared.
“Lake Michigan is a powerful body of water, and it needs to be respected,” Luell said.
Both events are still under investigation, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
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