A Montgomery County man drowned off the coast of Maryland Tuesday while swimming with his son, according to officials.
Charles Poole, 45, of Trappe, Pennsylvania along with his 16-year-old son were swimming in the ocean off the coast of the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. Officials say Poole and his son were swimming south of the lifeguard protected area during powerful and rough surf conditions.
While his son managed to swim back to the beach, Poole struggled in the water. Other swimmers found him unresponsive and floating in the water and brought him back to the shore. Lifeguards then performed CPR on him but he remained unconscious. He was taken to Atlantic General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“With offshore storms present, surf conditions are very powerful and rough,” said Liz Davis, the Chief of Interpretation and Education for the Assateague Island National Seashore. “We advise visitors to swim in the lifeguard protected area until surf conditions calm and improve.”
