When two teenagers drowned in a Sunrise canal Wednesday, strangers jumped in the water to try and help.
The would-be rescuers later told NBC 6 they went in without thinking of their own safety. Longtime lifeguard Jay Sanford cautioned against doing that unless you’ve been trained.
“You don’t know the depth of the water or what’s in that water," said Sanford with Broward County Parks and Recreations. "You could be equally as trapped as the people you’re trying to rescue. It’s great that people want to do that and we encourage people to try and help each other, but at the same time, don’t put yourself at risk unless you are knowledgeable in what you’re doing."
So what should you do if you see someone in distress in the water?
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First, call 911 so professional help is on the way, Sanford said.
Then, follow this guide: Reach, Throw, Don’t Go.
If you can reach them from shore safely, do so. Or find something to throw them so you can reel them in.
“If you have something that’s a little bit longer, if you happen to have a rope, something that floats, throw that to the person, throw that rope to again extend your reach to get them back to safety, back to shore,” Sanford said.
Tragically, Sherwenly Luxilien, 16, and Frandeline Joseph, 17, drowned Wednesday when their car went into a canal behind Jersey College near the corner of Oakland Park and University boulevards.
Stunned and saddened, the school is hoping to install throw ropes along the canal so if someone else ends up in the water, they can help save a life.
“What I did was order them up, we’re going to put them on the light poles now, so if God forbid something like this was going to happen in the future, we will have something to help a rescue,” said Dennis Garberg, the campus director at Jersey College.
