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May
31, 2003 Luling man drowns in San
Marcos River The body of a 34-year old Luling man was recovered from
the San Marcos River Friday by the San Marcos Area Recovery Team.
The victim was identified as 34-year old Danny Garza of Luling. The
family was present during the recovery, said SMART Commander Dan
Misiaszek. According to family and witnesses at the scene, Garza was
swimming under the 90E bridge with two cousins. He dove in from the
bank and began swimming toward a bridge pillar in the center of the
river. He became distressed and called for help approximately 40
yards from the bank.
Before witnesses could summon help,
Garza disappeared below the water. Bystanders entered the water and
did some free dives to the bottom of the river searching for the
missing man. When they were unsuccessful, emergency personnel were
called to the scene and SMART was called in for the search and
recovery. Divers entered the water downstream from the search area
just after 5 p.m. On the second sweep of the search pattern, the
victim was located in 10 feet of water directly under the bridge.
Divers Don White, John Moseley, Ian Rosen, and Dan & Kathy Misiaszek
recovered the body. Water visibility at the recovery site was less
than one foot, and divers encountered fishing lines, several water
moccasins, heavy silt, and underwater obstructions. The victim was
lying on this back with no noted entanglement. "SMART divers have
never in our history had this many recoveries from area rivers in
such a short period of time. This is our third drowning victim body
recovery in 35 days, since Easter Sunday," said Misiaszek."
The previous two drownings occurred
in the Guadalupe River near Hueco Falls Recreation Area in Comal
County. Misiaszek added, "This is gearing up to be a very busy
summer for SMART Divers. This is peak season for water recreation -
and consequently, prime time for water fatalities."
MAY 14, 2003
Houston man drowns in Guadalupe River; SMART divers recover body.
NEW BRAUNFELS - A 32-year-old Hispanic male was recovered from the
Guadalupe River today by the San Marcos Area Recovery Team (SMART)
divers. The body of Jose Luis Larrazobal, age 32 , of Houston was
recovered from the Guadalupe River near the Hueco Springs Recreation
Area on River Road near New Braunfels at 4:25 p.m. The Houston
Police Department has notified the next of kin.
The initial call to SMART Dive Team was made at 1:20 p.m. shortly
after first responders from the Comal County Sheriff's Department
arrived on the scene. SMART was called to the scene to recover the
body. SMART team members Wade Parham, Don White and John Moseley,
were joined by SMART members Daniel and Kathy Misiaszek. The SMART
divers were assisted by members of the Canyon Lake and New Braunfels
Fire and EMS crews. Larrazobal and three friends, Alberto Ceja,
Ciro Quintero, and Alvaro Hernandez , all from Houston, were
canoeing in the Guadalupe River when the inflatable kayak Larrazobal
was riding in overturned in a treacherous rocky area of the river
amid heavy rapids. His friends said the victim did not know how to
swim and was not wearing a personal flotation device. The men had
rented the two inflatable kayaks from a local outfitter, and each
kayak was equipped with personal floatation devices (life jackets).
None of the men in the group was wearing a life jacket at the time
of the accident.
When the inflatable kayak overturned, his canoe partner, Alvaro
Hernandez attempted to save him and was dragged underwater several
times. The other two canoers in their party also attempted to rescue
Larrazobal but were unsuccessful. Witnesses say that one of the men
stood on the bottom of the river, trying to hold the victim's head
above water as others unsuccessfully attempted to rescue him.
Witnesses say the other three men very nearly drowned in their
rescue attempts. Larrazobal's body was recovered within 2 hours and
ten minutes of the SMART divers arriving on the scene. The water
temperature was 75 degrees and the visibility was approximately 3 to
4 feet at depth. The victim was found in fifteen feet of water, 25
to 30 feet from shore.
April 20, 2003 - Easter Sunday -
San Antonio man drowns
in Guadalupe River; SMART divers recover body
A 25-year-old Hispanic male was recovered from the Guadalupe River
shortly before sunset on Easter Sunday by the San Marcos Area
Recovery Team (SMART) divers. The body of Christopher Ybarra, 25,
of San Antonio was recovered from the Guadalupe River near the Hueco
Springs Recreation Area on River Road near New Braunfels at 7:32
p.m. Among the 250-300 bystanders in the park, approximately 50
members of Ybarra’s family were on the scene at the time of
recovery. The initial 911 call was made at 6:04 p.m. after
witnesses made several unsuccessful attempts to rescue the victim.
The Comal County Sheriff’s Department, Canyon Lake Fire and EMS, New
Braunfels Police were on the scene within minutes of the call.
SMART was called to the scene to recover the body. SMART team
members John Curnutt and Bob Klett were joined by SMART organizers
Daniel and Kathy Misiaszek. The SMART divers were assisted by
members of the Canyon Lake and New Braunfels Fire and EMS crews.
Ybarra’s body was recovered within 32 minutes of the SMART divers
arriving on the scene. The water temperature was 63 degrees and the
visibility was approximately four feet. The victim was found in
seven feet of water, 45 feet from shore.
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