Three Dead, One Missing in Texas Water Accidents

Three people were killed and one person was missing following accidents at area lakes Sunday, authorities said.

One man drowned in Lewisville Lake and rescuers were searching for another man reported missing in Grapevine Lake, authorities said.

Two people were killed at Eagle Mountain Lake in what was believed to have been a personal watercraft accident, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reported. No further details were available Sunday night on those deaths.

Lewisville rescuers were flagged down in the Party Cove area of the lake shortly after 6 p.m. by boaters who said a man jumped off the boat and did not resurface, said Assistant Fire Chief Tim Tittle.

“They put a diver in the water for a quick dive and didn’t find anybody,” Tittle said. “We moved all the boats in the area out of the area.”

Divers found the body of a 23-year-old man, whose name was not released, in about 13 feet of water at 7:50 p.m., Tittle said. It is believed to be the first drowning on Lewisville Lake this year.

At about the same time, divers were searching Grapevine Lake for a man who disappeared under similar circumstances, police said. In that case, someone reported that a man, also 23, jumped off a boat near Lakeview Park and did not resurface, said Grapevine police Lt. Todd Dearing.

The search for the man, which involved rescuers from multiple agencies, was called off late Sunday night and was expected to resume early this morning, Dearing said.

In the last five years, a dozen people have drowned in water-related accidents at the 30,000-acre Lewisville Lake, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Tittle said the Memorial Day holiday weekend crowd so far was large, as expected.

His advice for lake swimmers: wear a life jacket.

“We have never pulled anyone off the bottom of the lake wearing a life jacket,” Tittle said. “If you wear a life jacket when you go in the water, chances are you’re going to be fine.”

The Denton County sheriff’s office and game wardens planned to increase Lewisville Lake summer boat patrols beginning this weekend.

Officials said last week that five full-time wardens, a few cadets and workers from several other agencies would be monitoring the lake nearly 24 hours a day through today. The Denton County sheriff’s office has also doubled its number of boat patrol officers in recent years.