A 22-year-old women from Indiana drowned while on vacation in Puerto Rico after she went into the water to rescue her girlfriend and became caught up in a strong rip current.
Cimone (Alicea) Dawson had been visiting Condado Beach in San Juan on the tropical island with her girlfriend and another friend when they suddenly got into difficulties.
Dawson, from Indianapolis, wasted no time in rushing out into the sea in order to try and save her girlfriend, but then tragically got into trouble herself around 6:30pm on Sunday.
The United States Coast Guard searched for two days until they found Dawson ‘submerged and unresponsive’. She was pronounced dead on Monday.
Cimone (Alicea) Dawson had been visiting Condado Beach in San Juan on the tropical island with her girlfriend and another friend when they suddenly got into difficulties
Dawson, from Indianapolis, wasted no time in rushing out into the sea in order to try and save her girlfriend but then get into trouble herself around 6:30pm on Sunday evening
Meanwhile, her girlfriend was rescued and helped back to shore by both the authorities and locals beachgoers.
Bystanders first reported hearing screams and saw people in distress in the water.
The Coast Guard who searched for Dawson from the air and sea, say it was local authorities who eventually managed to find Dawson’s body.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with funeral expenses and with bringing her body back to the mainland.
The 22-year-old went missing while swimming off Condado Beach in Puerto Rico (pictured)
The United States Coast Guard searched for several days until they found Dawson ‘submerged and unresponsive’. She was pronounced dead on Monday
‘That’s just the type of person she was,’ said Dawson’s cousin, Siajhanai Wean to WSAZ.
‘Even if I was on that beach and Cimone, seeing her loved one struggling, I couldn’t even get Cimone not to go back into the water.
‘Her girlfriend was starting to drown. She ran out there to save her girlfriend. It was other family members too in the water that needed saved, which bystanders help assisted, but it was three of them in the water struggling. The two of them the bystanders got, and while Cimone was on the way to her girlfriend, the current took her,’ Wean explained to WTHR.
‘I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like there were so many words that I wish I could have said. I felt like I couldn’t breathe,’ another of Dawson’s cousins said to the station.
Dawson loved to travel with Puerto Rico being one of her favorite destinations. She had gone to the island together with her girlfriend to celebrate a birthday.
‘They’ve been there five times in the last three years. We usually travel to different places, but they love Puerto Rico. They constantly go back,’ Wean said.
‘I feel like my family can never get a break. Every time, there’s something, and when we adapt to it, something else happens. So, I don’t think anyone was prepared for this,’ she added.
Dawson loved to travel with Puerto Rico being one of her favorite destinations. She had gone to the island together with her girlfriend to celebrate a birthday
The 22-year-old went back in the water to help but was pulled under and never made it back to shore. Bystanders rescued her girlfriend
The Coast Guard’s X account shared a resource from the National Weather Service with advice on surviving a rip current.
People caught in a strong current are advised not to panic.
‘Rip currents will not pull you under the water.’
People should not try to swim against the current, towards the beach, to escape – but swim out of the current, parallel to the beach.
If one cannot escape the current, aim to float while yelling and waving for help.
Some 80 per cent of beach rescues each year involve rip currents, according to the United States Lifesaving Association.
The Coast Guard’s X account shared a resource from the National Weather Service with advice on surviving a rip current
‘We extend are most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of this young woman and pray they find strength and closure during this most difficult time,’ said Cmdr. Matthew Romano, Coast Guard Search and Rescue mission coordinator for the case.
‘I would like to extend my appreciation to the bystanders and on-scene authorities for their actions which saved two lives and to all the Coast Guard units and emergency response partners for their professionalism, dedication, and tireless efforts during the search.’