A day after losing her husband, the widow of the man who drowned near Westboro Beach praised those who saved her son’s life.
In a post to a Westboro community Facebook group, Amanda Laflair said she and her family were not OK, but said she was “grateful so very grateful my sone is alive.” Laflair also thanked the emergency responders and medical professionals in the post.
“God bless you guardian angels for helping to save my baby,” Laflair wrote.
Laflair confirmed to CBC News that the man who drowned Wednesday was 42-year old Rowell Navarro. The Ottawa Police Service could not confirm the name of the deceased to the Ottawa Citizen.
Laflair described Navarro to CBC News as an excellent father “who loved taking his kids to the beach and the park to play.”
The Ottawa Citizen attempted to contact Laflair, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Laflair has set up a GoFundMe page, writing that she, “Tragically lost my husband when he drowned trying to save our 8 year old son.”
Laflair said she is raising funds to help pay for the funeral and support the family, as she will be unable to work.
The incident occurred near Westboro Beach on July 2 at about 1:40 p.m.
“When crews arrived on scene it was confirmed that an 8-year old child was safely rescued from the water,” Paul Hutt, chief for the Ottawa Fire Services, said in a statement. “However, an adult male who entered the water had gone missing.”
Hutt said that at approximately 2:25 p.m., the man was located through a grid search and using SONAR (sound navigation and ranging).
“While the incident occurred near Westboro Beach, it did not take place at the beach site, and City lifeguards stationed at the beach were not involved in the response,” the statement continued.
The father and son were swimming away from the public beach because they had the family dog with them at the time, Laflair wrote on her GoFundMe page.
Const. Fern John-Simon, spokesperson for the Ottawa Police Service, confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that the incident occurred outside the sightline of lifeguards working at the beach.
Hutt also shared “heartfelt condolences” to the deceased’s family and loved ones.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by this incident,” Hutt said.
According to John-Simon, the adult man and his child were swimming before they were in distress. At the time, police said, a passerby walking by heard the father and child struggling, and they went into the water to rescue the child.
Unfortunately, police said, the initial rescuer also got into distress, and another individual who was passing by then entered the water to help save the child and the initial rescuer.
Ottawa paramedics confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that a 27-year-old and an eight-year-old were taken to hospital in stable condition, while aman in his 40s was later pronounced dead at hospital.
John-Simon applauded the bystanders who prevented an even greater tragedy from taking place.
“Some very heroic life-saving measures by both those individuals, if not, it could have been a very tragic situation more than it is now,” John-Simon said.
