West Vancouver mother pleads for beach safety after son's drowning
Charlene Mitten lost her 40-year-old son at English Bay two years ago and is pushing for more lifeguards and public awareness.
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Two years after losing her son to drowning at English Bay, a West Vancouver mother is speaking out to raise awareness about water safety and the importance of community vigilance.
Charlene Mitten says her 40-year-old son, Darrel, went into the water to cool off on a sunny, busy day while playing volleyball with friends. An autopsy showed he had both alcohol and cocaine in his system. His body eventually surfaced, he was pulled to shore, and 911 was called, but he was taken off life support at St. Paul's Hospital shortly after.
Mitten doesn't directly blame anyone but carries frustration. "Do I have a bit of resentment that they didn't keep an eye out for him when they knew he wasn't quite himself? Yeah, I do have a bit of resentment there, but you can't blame anyone for anyone else's actions." She wishes some of his friends had watched him more closely.
She's calling for more lifeguards at local beaches and pleading with beachgoers to look out for one another. "Friends watch out for friends. Beachgoers watch out for beachgoers, because it can happen to anyone else." She points out that while lifeguards can't monitor everyone, bystanders who noticed her son wasn't stable could have alerted them.
Mitten's push comes just over a month after the Vancouver Park Board reversed its decision to eliminate lifeguards at four popular beaches—Sunset and Third beaches, and Spanish Banks East and West. The BC Coroners' Service recently warned of a spike in drownings and motorcycle-related deaths in May, with 14 motorcycle fatalities this year compared to five last May.