A teenage girl has been treated and transported to a local hospital after two bystanders found her underwater at Angle Lake Park Wednesday afternoon in SeaTac.
Firefighters from the Kent Regional Fire Authority, which is contracted to provide EMS/Fire services to SeaTac, were dispatched at about 3:15 p.m. to a report that civilians were doing CPR on the young girl after she was found face down in the water near the dock, according to a Kent RFA media release. Witnesses said the patient may have been underwater for several minutes.
Firefighters and paramedics took over the CPR from the citizens and were able to regain a pulse in the girl. The teen was transported to the hospital shortly after that. The girl’s family was on scene.
Much of the credit for the firefighters being able to regain a pulse in the patient was due to the CPR done prior to their arrival by the bystanders, fire officials said. Good CPR provides oxygen to the brain, increasing the chance of survival, until firefighters and paramedics can take over with more advanced care.
Fire officials declined to release the girl’s name or condition because of privacy laws.
There were no lifeguards on duty at the time of the incident. Lifeguards are normally not stationed at the park until July 1 and this summer the city of SeaTac will not provide lifeguards because of a lack of applicants, according to an email from the Kent RFA.
This is the second incident at Angle Lake in the last month. In June, a 28-year-old man jumped off a raft in the middle of the lake and drowned. His body was recovered several hours after he was last seen.
Fire officials recommend these precautions can reduce the chance of another tragedy:
• Always swim with a buddy
• Supervise children when in or near water
• Wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket
• Never overestimate your swimming ability
• Remember that the lakes and rivers of this area are very cold
• Never mix water activities and alcohol
• Swim where there are lifeguards
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