Two dudes went for a swim in Joe Pool Lake, but things took a turn for the worse when they fell off their boat and never came back up. The tragic incident happened in Grand Prairie, Texas, where officials revealed that the two men drowned in the lake.
The Grand Prairie Public Safety Dive team sprang into action around 4:26 p.m. on May 10 after receiving a report of a drowning in Joe Pool Lake. Witnesses shared that they witnessed the two men, who stupidly weren’t wearing life vests, fall into the water and not resurface.
The dive team searched the waters until nightfall and then resumed the search the next morning. They eventually found the bodies of the two men, both adults. Rachael Cox and her son, Marcus Hayes, happened to be on the lake at the time and caught the emergency response on video.
Cox couldn’t believe what she was witnessing, saying, “It was awful.” Hayes chimed in, cautioning others to be careful in the water. “You gotta be careful in the water. I say it all the time,” he added.
One of the victims was identified as 33-year-old Guy Hamilton by Sierra Harvey, who happens to be the mother of two of his children. Harvey tearfully described Hamilton as her best friend of over 17 years, an amazing dad filled with positivity.
“He was my best friend,” Harvey said, fighting back tears. “His smile, and how positive he was all the time,” she reminisced about the things she misses the most about him.
According to Harvey, Hamilton tragically drowned while trying to save the other man, who happened to be a distant cousin. “He was just like everybody’s hero, you know,” she said.
Now, Harvey is left to raise their two sons on her own. “I don’t know… I just gotta be strong for them,” she said, expressing her uncertainty about the future. “I’ve never been in this situation before, so I don’t know what to do.”
With summer approaching and more people heading to the lakes in North Texas, officials are stressing the importance of safety. “As the lake season kicks off, GPFD strongly advises the public to wear a life vest or an appropriate personal flotation device when near or in the water,” the release stated with a sense of urgency.
As we reflect on this tragic incident, it serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of water activities and the importance of taking necessary precautions. Let’s all do our part to stay safe and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
