Drowning mars holiday celebration
A Cedar Hill teen, Shannon Allcock, 13, drown Friday night while swimming at the Lynn Creek Park swim beach at Joe Pool Lake.
Sgt. Chris Chopin, Grand Prairie Police Lake Patrol, said Allcock was swimming approximately 75 to 100 yards from the shore in about 5 to 6 feet of water. Allcock was returning to the shore when she apparently slipped off a swim board she was using. A friend swimming with Allcock discovered the board floating in the water but Allcock missing. The friend notified Allcock’s parents who in turn notified police around 8:00 p.m.
Police and fire/rescue personnel including divers were called to the area and found Allcock around 8:30 p.m. in the area she was last seen. Paramedics at the scene tried to resuscitate Allcock and rushed her to Arlington MCA hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Allcock is this year’s fifth drowning victim at Joe Pool Lake, Sgt. Chopin said.
He said that the lake patrol unit aggressively enforces water safety laws and people should take safety measures while swimming in lakes, to include:
- Not to swim alone
- Parents should always watching children
- Everyone needs to wear a life jacket
“I’ve never pulled a drowning victim out of a lake with a life jacket on” is a long time saying among police and fire/rescue personnel, Sgt. Chopin said.
