Big Bear Lake, CA, July 23, 2012, 8:00am – (UPDATE) – The victim has been identified as 44 year-old Cesar Espana of Riverside, California.
[Original Story] Big Bear Lake, Saturday July 22, 2012, 2:00 pm – On Friday afternoon at 4:59 pm a there was a report of a possible drowning victim near the east launch ramp on Big Bear Lake. The Municipal Water District Lake Patrol, Big Bear Sheriff”s Department and local fire agencies were called to the scene. Two related males were riding a personal water craft near the northern shoreline when one of the males slipped under the water. Both men were not wearing a personal flotation device as mandated by law while riding a Jet Ski type boat. An immediate search did not find the victim. A dive team and helicopter were called in to help with the search. As the evening began to fall the recovery efforts were called off until Saturday morning. The county dive team described the visibility as very poor on the bottom where the victim was later found in about 20 feet of water. Scott Heule, General Manager of the Municipal Water District, told KBHR that this tragic accident was avoidable with the use of a personal flotation device better know as PFD. The Sheriff”s Department has described this as an accidental drowning and identified the man as a resident of Riverside.
