Posted: January 30, 2010 16:33:51 PST
The body of a man was discovered Saturday afternoon in Lake Padden at 2:40 p.m by divers from the Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan County Diver Rescue Teams. The identity of the body and cause of death will be made by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner however it is presumed to be that of a missing capsized canoeist. The canoe capsized shortly after 1:00 p.m Friday afternoon. A cell phone call from a man at Lake Padden alerted police to two subjects that had capsized and were calling for help. Three minutes after receiving the information, a Bellingham Police Officer arrived to find an overturned canoe and two men in the water. As the officer arrived he saw a friend in the parking lot that happened to be an off duty Bellingham Firefighter. The off duty Firefighter was at the lake on a recreational outing and had two stand up paddle boats with him at the time. Both the off duty Firefighter and Officer fashioned a quick rescue plan. Both of them paddled out to the struggling swimmers in an attempt to get them to shore. One victim started swimming towards shore and was assisted onto one of the paddle boats. The first victim was brought to shore by the police officer. That man has been identified as 28 year old Cole B. Smith. Smith was taken to the hospital for treatment due to exposure. As Smith was being helped ashore, the off duty Firefighter continued to the overturned canoe and the last known location of the second man in the water. Units from the Bellingham Fire Department and the South Whatcom Fire Authority also launched boats to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts. South Whatcom Fire Authority deployed an underwater cameras to search for the missing man. The second victim was not located. The shoreline, trails and surrounding area were searched by officers and Whatcom County Search and Rescue. A Custom and Border Protection Air and Marine helicopter also assisted in searching the area. The search was called off Friday night due to darkness and efforts resumed Saturday morning. The victim pulled from the water today is believed to be that of 28 year old Clay J Weden. For more information concerning this please contact Officer Mark Young at (360)778-8815.
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Media Contact:
Mark Young
Public Information Officer
Bellingham Police Department
(360)778-8815
myoung@cob.org
