Bystanders reportedly help rescue young sisters from drowning at Lake Samish swim area
Bystanders reportedly swam out and helped pull a pair of young sisters that were struggling to swim out of the water at Lake Samish Park Sunday evening, Aug. 4.
Bellingham Fire Department Assistant Chief Dave Parker told The Bellingham Herald he could not disclose the sisters’ names or their condition, because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) restrictions, but said both girls were taken to the hospital using advanced life saving services.
Bellingham Fire and South Whatcom Fire Authority units were called to East Lake Samish Drive at 5:38 p.m. Sunday for a medical emergency, according to the PulsePoint app.
On their way to the call, South Whatcom Chief Rod Topel told The Herald, crews learned that there was a report of two possible near-drowning victims.
Topel said the Bellingham Fire medical units were the first to locate the victims near the enclosed swim area on Lake Samish.
Parker said crews learned that the two young girls had been rescued from the water by some bystanders, who realized the sisters were struggling.
Parker said the report on the incident did not include the girls’ ages or any information about the bystanders who assisted them.
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 11:43 AM.
