Shortly after 5 pm, on April 5, 2023 an angler fishing from the shore at Five Mile Lake in King County, Washington saw a kayaker go into the water without a life jacket on and was struggling to surface. The good samaritan rushed into the water to assist the man. More than 100-yards off shore, the rescuer began struggling himself. He was unable to make it to the kayaker’s last location. A boat on the lake saw the commotion and rushed over and was able to fish the angler out of the water.
They performed CPR until firefighters arrived on the scene. The man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where he was in critical condition. The kayaker was not found until after dark and was pronounced dead on the scene. No updates have been given or names released of the kayaker or angler who risked his own life to help. We’ll updated when we get those details.
Please wear your kayak life jacket if you’re going to fish or use a kayak. Especially when the water is below 70 degrees.
