ABC News reports that on Saturday, crews recovered the body of a second person who drowned while trying to save a 6-year-old boy.
Thursday evening, Lyle Francis Eagletail, 28, had been near the river in Falls Park, South Dakota when he saw 6-year-old Garrett Martin Wallace either fall into the frothing water or become obscured by the gathering foam.
Garrett’s 16 year old sister Madison jumped in to save her brother and Eagletail followed.
Miraculously, the boy later emerged from the river and was uninjured.
Madison Leigh Wallace’s body was discovered Friday afternoon. Eagletail’s body was discovered only 100 feet from the girl’s body in a part of the river that was reportedly about 12 feet deep. It was an area that had previously been searched.
"That just shows you how treacherous and how easy it is to hide such a thing in this murky water," said Jeff Helm, division chief of Sioux Falls Fire and Rescue.
Sioux Falls Fire Chief Jim Sideras reports that witness accounts differ on whether someone pushed the boy out of the water or he popped up on a rock before being pulled ashore.
Emergency workers carried the boy away from the river wrapped in a blanket.
Eagletail’s family stayed at the river until his body was recovered and have not spoken to the press as of yet.
The city rescheduled an annual St. Patrick's Day lighting ceremony at Falls Park until Sunday.
The park is actually where the city itself derives its name. It’s the area’s most distinctive attraction which is named for the plummeting waterfalls. It’s quite the tourist attraction where people visit for gatherings and pose for wedding pictures.
With a draw of around 525,000 visitors annually according the local visitors' bureau, locals have got to be hoping that this tragedy won’t deter tourists from visiting this spring and summer.
Spring is a dangerous time of year. As the temperatures fluctuate it certainly isn’t safe to venture out on any body of water. Hopefully parents who catch wind of this story will at least have a serious chat with their kids about how to avoid this from happening.
Two people ended up losing their lives trying to save a little boy this week. Did he surface from the icy water with help from Madison or Lyle? It’s a safe bet that he’s still alive because of them and that’s how it should be written.
Comments