Virginia man drowns at Busco Beach
By Gary Popp
Published in News on May 30, 2011 1:46 PM
A 31-year-old man drowned while swimming at Busco Beach on Sunday evening.
The body of Samuel Evans Turner, of Courtland, Va., was recovered by a dive team around 7 p.m.
Members of Arr-Mac Water Response Team, which includes members of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, and Arrington and Mar-Mac fire departments, had four divers on the scene during the search.
Arrington Fire Department Chief Randy Rogers said the body was recovered about 20 minutes after a diver entered the water.
Rogers said Turner's body was found in about nine feet of water in the lake that is the main swimming area at Busco Beach.
Rogers said Turner was swimming with another person to a small island when he went under.
"I don't know if he gave out or cramped," Rogers said. "He just got into trouble."
Rogers said the Turner was at the beach with friends.
"The lake was surrounded by people camping, and several people swimming saw him go under," Rogers said. "We had good witnesses, so we knew the area he was in."
Rogers said conducting an underwater search can be made more difficult with large crowds in the area.
"With so much public there, that is one of our biggest problems is getting people out of the water," Rogers said. "When we got the scene secure, we were able to talk to different witnesses with different vantage points that helped us triangulate where he went under the water."
Rogers said water rescue teams are trained to work quickly and safely.
"Once we respond out there and talk to the witnesses, you have only got 10 to 12 minutes to find a subject that is underwater before it becomes a recovery operation." Rogers said.