Summer may be over soon, but the dangers of Lake drownings are always present. WKAR’s Karel Vega has more…
Dave Benjamin is the Executive Director of Public Relations and Project Management at The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
The project is a non-profit that aims to reduce the number of Great Lakes drownings. There have been 63 Great Lakes drownings in 2017 alone. Benjamin says people need to start treating drowning as seriously as other public dangers like diseases and bullying. “Why does it continue to be a neglected public health issue? Says Benjamin. "And I would say lawmakers, politicians, the mass population, just don’t know. It’s the leading cause of accidental death. They don’t know how to survive a drowning emergency.”
Benjamin says one easy way to avoid accidental drowning is simply to bring a life jacket to the beach.“You do not always have to wear it but have it with you because it may be a rough day and put the kids in a life jacket, put yourself in a life jacket."
”The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project estimates there have been 600 Great Lakes drownings since 2010.
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