Be safe out there
Man dies at lake; tips on being safe
Over the weekend, deputies with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) recovered the body of a man who was reported missing Saturday night at Lake Success.
On Saturday at 5:41 p.m., TCSO Deputies were called to Lake Success for a missing man. When they arrived, they were told the man had disappeared while at the lake with family members. Deputies began searching on the ground and the TCSO Aviation Unit searched by air.
Sunday morning during the ongoing search, the victim was found dead in the lake.
He has been identified as 43-year-old Mario Sandoval of the Los Angeles area.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 7336218 or send anonymous information by sending a text or email to TCSO@ tipnow.com or call (559) 725-4194. Lake Success is a popular destination for summer fun, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporary park manager Charlie Mauldin shared a few tips about staying safe around waterways, specifically rivers and lakes.
“We encourage the public to wear a PFD, which are basically life vests,” said Mauldin. “The lake has a life jacket loaner program, and we have sizes ranging from infant to adult. People can check out a life vest and return it once they have finished
using it.”
Mauldin also suggested if you’re swimming or playing in the water at the lake, be aware of drop offs, or areas of the lake in which the water suddenly drops to much deeper depths.
“The water can go from three to four feet, and then suddenly drop to 70 feet,” said Mauldin.
Mauldin warned that swimmers should stay within 100 feet of the shoreline and avoid boat ramps and docks that run into the water.
Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t regulate or guard the rivers near the lake, Mauldin said the water in rivers is often times much colder than the water in the lake, and if a person isn’t careful,
they can be swept into the strong currents of the river.
Mauldin continued to stress the importance of wearing a life vest while in or around the water. It takes an average of only 60 seconds for an adult to drown, and only 20 seconds for a child. When worn properly, life vests greatly improve the probabilities of being rescued, if something was to go wrong.