Tragic end to holiday weekend
Look for updates as more information becomes available.
The great Texas weather brought scores of people to Joe Pool Lake to celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend. The weeked ended in tragedy when Grand Prairie Police and Fire had to respond to two separate drowning accidents and a motorcycle accident within an hour span Monday evening.
The first call came in around 7:00 p.m. when a 27 year-old man was reported missing after leaving a pontoon boat to swim without a life jacket. Witnesses reported the man appeared to be in distress and occupants of the boat threw him a life jacket. The victim was unable to grab the life jacket so one person dove in the water to attempt a rescue, but the victim slipped under the water before the rescuer could reach him.
The Grand Prairie Fire Department Dive Team searched for about thirty minutes without success. The resumption of the search on Tuesday was disrupted by weather conditions and the body has not been recovered.
The victim's name was not released by police pending notification of relatives.
The second drowning was reported about 8:00 p.m. when witnesses reported a swimmer outside the no-wake buoy at the Jet Ski Beach at Lynn Creek Park in distress.
Police and Fire responded to the area but witnesses reported the victim had gone under the water. Fire Department divers searched and located the victim, Ronaldo Cruz-Enriquez, 40, of Arlington. Awaiting paramedics attempted resuscitation and rushed Cruze-Enriquez to Arlington MCA hospital where further attempts were made to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Also around 8:00 p.m. a motorcycle driver south bound on Lake Ridge Parkway near the entrance to Lynn Creak Park lost control of his motorcycle. The driver was not wearing a helmet and witnesses reported the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic.
The driver, Brad Liles, was transported to Methodist Hospital by CareFlite helicopter with head injuries, his condition is reported to be stable.
