Corpus Christi Drowning Victim Identified

Authorities have identified a man who drowned at Lake Corpus Christi last Saturday.

About the Lake Corpus Christi Drowning

What began as a warm afternoon with friends, turned into a tragic event for a Rio Grande Valley man and his family.

43-year-old, Robert Gaona of San Juan, TX drowned Saturday evening at Lake Corpus Christi after attempting to retrieve a football that had been thrown to him while he was playing with family.

Gaona was roughly 15 feet from land when he drowned. Family members rushed to help him, but were too late as he had already passed.

Unintentional Drowning Statistics:

The following information was provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• In 2007, recreational water drowning made up 43% of water related deaths. An additional 9% of drowning incidents were the result of boating accidents.
• The total percentage of recreational water drowning and boating accident-related drowning was more than triple the percentage of water deaths attributed to swimming pool drowning.
• Children between the ages 1 and 4 are at the highest risk for drowning. The risk decreases between ages 5 and 14 only to peak once gain between ages 15 and 24.
• 80% of lifeguard rescues involve rip currents.
• 100 people die each year due to rip currents on U.S. beaches.