A holiday weekend turned tragic in Galveston as a Louisiana man was killed by a rip current while swimming with friends, authorities confirmed Sunday. Joshua Acevedo, 26, of Leesville, Louisiana, was with a group caught in a dangerous riptide near Pleasure Pier on Saturday, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The incident occurred just after noon when Acevedo and a group of four others swam out beyond the pier and into treacherous waters. They were trapped by the aggressive current that ultimately proved deadly, and the Galveston Island Beach Patrol was flying red flags to indicate hazardous conditions, But despite the warnings and a lifeguard's attempts to signal the swimmers, the group did not hear the alarms. A lifeguard on the scene rescued one of the swimmers, and, separately, another made it back to shore unaided while two others were pulled to safety by additional responders, per the FOX 26 Houston account.
Acevedo, however, was tragically submerged and later found face down between Murdoch's Gift Shop and Pleasure Pier after an "extensive search," officials said. CPR was administered by lifeguards, then by an EMS crew during the rush to the University of Texas Medical Branch's John Sealy Hospital where Acevedo was pronounced deceased just after 1:00 P.M.
Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis underscored the peril of the situation, detailing how the swimmers, failing to heed the whistle blown by a lifeguard found themselves trapped in the west-to-east moving rip current that was facilitated by southeasterly winds leading up to Memorial Day weekend, according to a statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Davis iterated the importance of beachgoers complying with the flag warning system that signals conditions such as strong winds or currents, backed by the detail from FOX 26 Houston that red flags were indeed flying at the time of the tragic event.
The local authorities have since reiterated water safety warnings in the wake of the accident and reminded beachgoers to remain vigilant especially when red flags are posted, to avoid similar tragedies as the one that claimed the life of Joshua Acevedo.
