A Missouri man drowned in a lake after diving in to save a 5-year-old boy who drifted off without a life jacket — the 28th drowning incident in the state this year.
David Moore, 66, was attempting to get several people onto a pontoon boat on Smithville Lake on Aug. 17 when his girlfriend’s young son and another person began floating away, according to local reports.
Moore dove in without a life vest to rescue the two in the water but after helping them back to the boat, the current pulled him away.
Moore’s head was submerged under water three separate times before he disappeared.
“He was able to get the boy back … but it took Dave farther away and pushed him under. He couldn’t stay up. There was an undercurrent,” family friend Hank Penland told WAGM.
“It’s just terrible, it’s just like a nightmare,” Moore’s sister, Teresa Petty, said to the outlet.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol found Moore’s body.
The drowning occurred near Crow’s Creek Cove, a campground about 25 miles north of Kansas City.
Authorities said Moore was the first drowning at Smithville Lake this year, but he was the 28th drowning in Missouri, KCTV reported.
The MSHP is now urging people to wear life jackets when they are out on the water.
“David spent a lifetime helping others out the best he could,” a GoFundMe started for his family read. “David lost his life helping others out and wouldn’t have had it end any other way.”
Moore is survived by two siblings and numerous cousins, according to an obituary.
He was remembered by loved ones as an avid outdoorsman, motorcycle rider and Kansas City Chiefs fan.
He worked at Triumph Foods for more than 14 years, owned a contracting business for 30 years and enjoyed spending his free time with family and friends, WAGM reported.
He recently went on a “bucket list” cruise to Alaska with childhood pals and planned to do more hunting, fishing and boating when he retired next year, they said.
