Teen dies after jumping into Lake Arthur

A 17-year-old died after he jumped from the Route 528 bridge into Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park.

State police in Butler reported they received a call from the boy's companions when he didn't emerge from the water. The Prospect Volunteer Fire Department found the boy after a short search.

Sadly, this tragedy is a stereotypical occurence by which fun-loving teens earn "Darwin Awards" in the summertime.

For those unfamiliar with Lake Arthur, it's a small, 3,225-acre lake at Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park. This small park is quite popular for sailing, fishing, picnicing etc. But it also has horsepower restrictions on power boats because it is simply too small to accommodate them.

The maximum depth of the lake is only about 30', usually a lot shallower, and the bottom is strewn with rocks, stumps, etc.

It is obvious that this teen made a high jump into a shallow pond.
He also did it in a prohibitied area, and violated the old adage "Look before you leap."

All would be wise to use this sad event to remind their own teens of the dangers of this type of accident.

As an added anecdote, I used to frequent Moraine State Park and Lake Arthur with friends, many, many years ago. Once when I was sailing with a high-school buddy, his brother-in-law (whom we referred to as "turkey") was also there and having difficulty sailing his own boat. Well, the dang thing was on the verge of capsizing, and in a flurry of panic, ol' turkey managed to grab his life-preserver, fasten the straps and take a flying leap overboard. He landed standing straight-up in about 2½ foot of water, feet firmly sunk down into the muck! It was funnier than all get out, but also a reminder as to how deceptively shallow the lake actually is.

Everybody, please be careful when you're out having summer fun!

I've also sailed on Lake Arthur and wound up falling out of the boat into muck. Fortunately, my nickname's not "Turkey" though.

I've driven across that bridge many times, and never seen anyone on it who wasn't in a car driving over it. It would be a strange sight to see folks walking on it, much less jumping off it.

Just about anyone who lives or recreates in the area ought to know how shallow it can be. Also, it's a man-made lake - a dammed up stream. Hence the issue with logs underneath.

Updated info:

Youth drowns in Lake Arthur

Saturday, June 22, 2002
By Bill Heltzel, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A Butler youth drowned late Thursday after jumping into Lake Arthur on a $35 dare.
Adam Parks, 17, was declared dead at Allegheny General Hospital, where he was flown after emergency workers tried to revive him at the Butler County state park. The Allegheny County coroner's office ruled the death an accident.
Parks and six friends had gathered at the Route 528 bridge, near a boat launch at Muddy Creek channel on the northeast side of the lake.
A friend dared him to jump, according to park Ranger Rick Carson, and egged him on with $35. "After considerable coaxing," Carson said, Parks and a friend climbed a bridge pier about 30 feet above the water.
The channel is about 20 feet deep and there was no current. The friend counted down, 5-4-3-2-1, and Parks jumped.
Parks surfaced and began swimming to the shore. He yelled for help, went down, came back up, swam a few more feet, yelled for help again, and went under 35 feet from shore.
"That was the last he was seen alive," Carson said.
At 10 p.m., one of his friends used a cell phone to call for help.
A member of the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department found Parks' body about 20 minutes after he went under.
Carson said there was no evidence of alcohol or drug use and Parks may have been incapacitated by a cramp.
Though it is illegal to jump from the two bridges that cross the lake, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources gets six to eight cases a year. Typically, the jumper is picked up by a companion in a boat and takes off before a ranger can do anything, Carson said.
"This is the first one where they didn't make it and drowned," Carson said.

Yep, just typical teens horsing around.
30' jump into 20' of water could've caused injury just by not "landing" right.
Then again, who knows what kind of logs and stuff could've been floating by underneath the water's surface?
Sad, sad, and senseless.

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