HAMILTON -- The 15-year-old boy who drowned in a canal after trying to swim across it has been identified.
William Allen of Hamilton was found about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday by Sheriff's deputies.
"This is tragic," Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said. "I know that canal well, having grown up in Hamilton's North End. As a kid, I swam and canoed right where this happened. I guess I was lucky that something like this didn't happen back then. This is a very sad reminder that rivers and waterways are not meant to be play areas."
Earlier coverage:
Boy Drowns in Hamilton Canal
HAMILTON -- A drowning has occurred in a canal.
Around 7:30 p.m., Hamilton Fire Crews responded to a canal running parallel to Joe Nuxhall Blvd.
When they arrived on the scene, they found a 15-year-old girl hanging on a tree limb in the water.
A paramedic rescued the girl by swimming to the tree limb and bringing her back to shore.
The other person was a 15-year-old male who swam north across the canal. He made it half way before he started struggling. One of his friends went into the water to assist him, but the current grew too strong and he was unable to help. The friend then swam back to shore while the boy went underwater.
Hamilton Fire Crews immediately deployed two boats into the canal and searched for about 90 minutes. The Butler County Sheriff's Dive Team was called to the scene, which has now been turned over to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
William Allen of Hamilton was found about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday by Sheriff's deputies.
"This is tragic," Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said. "I know that canal well, having grown up in Hamilton's North End. As a kid, I swam and canoed right where this happened. I guess I was lucky that something like this didn't happen back then. This is a very sad reminder that rivers and waterways are not meant to be play areas."
Earlier coverage:
Boy Drowns in Hamilton Canal
HAMILTON -- A drowning has occurred in a canal.
Around 7:30 p.m., Hamilton Fire Crews responded to a canal running parallel to Joe Nuxhall Blvd.
When they arrived on the scene, they found a 15-year-old girl hanging on a tree limb in the water.
A paramedic rescued the girl by swimming to the tree limb and bringing her back to shore.
The other person was a 15-year-old male who swam north across the canal. He made it half way before he started struggling. One of his friends went into the water to assist him, but the current grew too strong and he was unable to help. The friend then swam back to shore while the boy went underwater.
Hamilton Fire Crews immediately deployed two boats into the canal and searched for about 90 minutes. The Butler County Sheriff's Dive Team was called to the scene, which has now been turned over to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
