A father and son were playing a game of catch near Lake Michigan when they later drowned in its waters. This horrific tragedy occurred over the Fourth of July weekend on Saturday, July 5, according to PEOPLE.
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Innocent Game Of Catch Leads To Father And Son Drowning In Lake Michigan
65-year-old David Meneou from Joliet, Illinois, and 20-year-old Jameson Meneou from Lockport, Illinois, were the victims. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources shared this devastating news in a press release on Wednesday.
Emergency services responded to a report around 4:20 PM that Saturday about two men requiring a water rescue. “When the Conservation Officers arrived, two men had been removed from the water by a Good Samaritan,” said the news release.
“Conservation Officers and National Park Rangers boated the men to the Port of Indiana while performing CPR. The two men were taken to a local hospital, where they were pronounced deceased.”
In an interview with CBS News, Daniel Meneou, David’s brother, has been grieving. He mentioned that Jameson was struggling to swim when the freak accident happened. Apparently, the two were on Lake Michigan near Dune Acres with their boat anchored to a sandbar.
While playing catch, the ball went into the water, so Jameson went to retrieve it. That’s when Jameson began struggling to swim in the water, his father diving in to rescue him.
“Jamie was his life,” said David, referring to his nickname. “Of course my brother was going to try to save his son.” David remembered his brother as a “go-getter,” while he described Jameson as “an intelligent, bright young man.”
Remembering David And Jameson Meneou
A witness managed to pull the two men from the water, but no one was able to save them in time. Even after doing CPR on the two for half an hour, they could not bring them back.
According to Candace Keller Meneou, Jameson’s mother, the duo were doing their favorite activity together before their tragic deaths. “Playing catch with his dad was his favorite thing to do,” she told NBC Chicago.
Keller Meneou has co-parented Jameson, who had autism, alongside her ex-husband David. The 75-year-old from Joliet knew just how close the father and son were. “David really loved his son,” said Keller.
Despite Jameson being an avid swimmer, it seems he rushed into unsafe waters, not expecting to struggle. But this isn’t a rare occurrence. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project data, 17 people have drowned in Lake Michigan just this summer. Typically, by the end of the summer, there are around 50 drownings.