Man drowns in lower Twin Lake
<p>Members of the Kootenai County Sheriff's search and rescue dive team prepare to go back out into Twin Lakes on Friday to continue searching for a Seattle man who went missing while swimming on Friday.</p>
<p>Emergency crews switch dive teams during the search for a 65-year-old man on Friday in Twin Lakes. The man jumped in the water without a life jacket to cool off and family members quickly lost sight of him.</p>
<p>Members of the Kootenai County Sheriff's dive rescue team search for a 65-year-old Seattle man who went missing while swimming on Friday in Twin Lakes.</p>
After a search that took several hours, divers recovered the body of a 65-year-old Seattle area man who drowned Friday in lower Twin Lake.
Jim Lyon, spokesman for Northern Lakes Fire District, said residents of Twin Lakes Village were alerted to the situation around 1 p.m. when they heard some people on the water screaming for help. It was the wife and family members of David A. Greene, who had jumped from a stopped pleasure boat to cool off in the lake.
“He came back up and indicated he needed help,” Lyon said.
Greene then disappeared under the water from his relatives’ sight. He was not wearing a life jacket.
Emergency crews were called and some local people swam out to assist. Life Flight arrived and was on standby.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office’s dive team responded and spent more than 90 minutes searching before the rescue effort was transitioned into a recovery mission, Lyon said, due to the amount of time Greene had been submerged.
“They haven’t been able to see anything,” Lyon said. “The visibility is about 10 feet into the water. It’s murky.”
Divers located Greene in about 19 feet of water at 5:57 p.m., a sheriff’s office spokesman reported.
The water temperature is in the 60s, which is not ideal for a drowning rescue, Lyon said, because people tend to survive longer in cooler water. Jet skis were used to tow the sheriff’s office divers through sections of the lake.
Spirit Lake Fire personnel were on scene with family members, comforting Greene’s wife and relatives. Later, a Kootenai County sheriff’s chaplain was with them.
“They’re obviously distressed, but they’ve been with somebody the entire time,” Lyon said. “This is devastating for the family members and the community. People who heard the cries for help were distraught.”
Some residents spent up to 40 minutes diving into about 19 feet of water to help find the man.
Lyon said he and other responders encourage people to use life jackets or other floating devices when swimming, especially children and anyone else who is not a strong swimmer.
The sheriff’s office noted children ages 14 and younger who are on vessels less than 19 feet in length are required to wear life jackets.
Staff writer Keith Cousins contributed to this report.