Two dead in separate water incidents over Fourth of July weekend

Fourth of July weekend has been dangerous and deadly for non-swimmers, including two people who died Sunday in separate incidents..

A 4-year-old boy pulled from the river at Skaggs Bridge Park died about 8:30 p.m. at Valley Children’s Hospital. Earlier, a 45-year-old man died at 2:45 p.m. at St. Agnes Hospital after being retrieved from Millerton Lake.

The 4-year-old was not wearing a life vest and was left unsupervised for about 30 minutes before he was found in the San Joaquin River by authorities, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

The county coroner identified the man as Raul Jimenez, from Santa Ana, and the young boy as Seth Reyes, from Madera. Both deaths are being investigated.

Also, a 14-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl survived after a rescue in Shaver Lake on Sunday afternoon. The girl went under first after attempting to save her cousin. She was rescued and resuscitated first; the boy was found 25 minutes later.

The girl was transported to Clovis Community Hospital, where she was waiting Sunday night for her parents to arrive from Los Angeles before being discharged.

The boy was listed in critical but stable condition at Valley Children’s Hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti expressed the need to take steps to be safe in and around water.

“Take simple precautions such as: Wear a life jacket, stay close to shore if you’re not an experienced swimmer and do not mix alcohol and swimming,” Botti said. “Alcohol causes swimmers to fatigue faster than normal and can create dangerous situations.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2016 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Two dead in separate water incidents over Fourth of July weekend."