Heroic Mother Drowns Trying To Save Daughter And Young Friend Struggling On Lake Erie

A mother from Buffalo, New York drowned while trying to save her daughter and another young girl from the rough waters on Lake Erie. The woman, Mary E. Creighton, rushed into the waters after the pair began to struggle approximately 100 yards from the shore. Fortunately, the two young girls survived the horrifying ordeal after emergency responders jumped into the water and rescued the struggling girls. However, the heroic mother could not be reached in time and was later found about a mile from where she initially jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue the two girls.

WGRZ reports that 51-year-old Mary E. Creighton jumped into rough waters at Wendt Beach in Evans on Lake Erie after her young daughter and a friend began struggling in the water. The two girls, ages 10 and 11, began having difficulty staying afloat as the waves at the beach reached five to seven feet high.

A 911 call was made at 7 p.m., and first responders rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, the 10-year-old girl had made her way back to the beach with the help of a bystander, but witnesses informed the emergency crew that two more people were still in the rough waters. The Evans Police Chief notes that Police Lieutenant Bradley DiMartino saw the 11-year-old girl bobbing in the water and immediately stripped off his uniform and firearm and dove into the water. He was able to make it to the little girl, but the rough waters almost overwhelmed the officer. Finally, a second officer was able to swim out and rescue both the first officer and the young girl.

“My officers immediately started running and looking up and down the beach. They did notice a young girl bobbing in the water. One of my lieutenants stripped his uniform, stripped his firearm and ran into the water about a 100 yards out and grabbed the girl. He became in trouble and one of my other officers ran in and rescued both of them.”

Sadly, the rescue crew could not save Creighton, and her body was eventually found a mile away from where she entered the water. Police noted that Wendt Beach does not have lifeguards on duty, and swimming is prohibited. Swimming at the beach is not allowed due to the rough nature of the waters and rocky terrain. Despite the warnings, District Chief Nick Mecca says that kids simply don’t pay attention to posted signs as they are just “out having fun.”

“Kids don’t know. They’re out having fun. When the lake gets like this, be very, very careful. It’s best not to even be out in it when the waves are just slamming like they were. It was very, very rough when we got down here.”

The condition of the two girls is currently unknown, but witnesses say the girls appeared as though they were going to be okay physically.

[Image Credit: “Wendt Beach March 2007” by dwstucke – Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]