Friends find 24-year-old washed up on beach after vanishing in water, CA officials say
A 24-year-old tourist died while swimming off the California coast during a trip with friends, officials say.
Kevin Dignan, of Austin, Texas, waded into the ocean with a friend in Pacific Beach the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 25, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release.
The friend surfaced but could not find Dignan, the office said.
He alerted the others in the friend group that Dignan was missing, and they searched the area, according to the coroner’s office.
They found him a short time later lying unresponsive on the beach, the office said.
After calling 911, the group tried lifesaving measures on Dignan while waiting for rescuers to arrive, the office said.
“Despite aggressive resuscitative efforts,” rescuers declared Dignan dead on scene, according to the office.
The coroner’s office ruled Dignan’s death an accidental drowning as the result of a cervical spine fracture caused by blunt force trauma.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Friends find 24-year-old washed up on beach after vanishing in water, CA officials say."
