IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. -- One week after three people drowned at Lake Norman State Park officials want to remind you how to best respond to someone in danger.
The park superintendent says remember the phrase “throw, tow, go” when you see a drowning victim. That means throw a floatation device to them and pull them to safety before jumping in to try to save them.
Last weekend, a father drowned with his friend and son while trying to save his son.
The family was swimming in one of the park's creeks, not the designated swimming area.
Now families swimming at the park say they'll keep this advice in mind since their instinct would be to jump in first.
"That would be my first thing and a lot of people don't have extra stuff handy,” said Gina Danals, a mother who brought her kids to swim at the park Sunday. “So to sit around and look for something to stick in the water for them to grab onto, that takes a lot longer than jumping in and going after them.”
The park superintendent says if you don't have a floatation device, you can try to use something nearby, like a long stick or log to pull the victim to safety.