Teen about 20 feet from shore when he told cousin he needed help; water was 55 degrees

Monday, April 18, 2005

A Scottsville teenager drowned in Barren River Lake while swimming with his cousin Sunday afternoon.

Christopher A. Buchholz, 14, was fishing in the lake on its Barren County side with his father and a male cousin, also a 14-year-old from Scottsville. The two boys were swimming across the lake in 55-degree water around 3:50 p.m., when Buchholz appeared to become tired, according to his cousins account to authorities.

The water was cold. They were about 20 feet from shore when he said, Im in trouble. I need help, said Paul M. Wood, an officer with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The (cousin) said, I tried to hold on to him, but I just got so tired, I had to let him go. They were swimming over to the rock point, where the water tower was and evidently they were aiming to jump off that point.

Wood said the area where Buchholz drowned is a popular fishing spot and that its illegal to swim there. Buchholz body was pulled from the water about 20 feet from shore, near where he went under, Wood said.

Buchholz was in the eighth grade at James E. Bazzell Middle School in Allen County. Counselors were in the school this morning to help students cope with the news.

Don Alexander, park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said statistics show more than 60 people have drowned in Barren River Lake since 1964.

It got to where we were averaging one a year, but there for a while, we didnt have any drownings, he said. A contributing factor, of course, is the water temperature. A cold shower shocks your body and thats nothing compared to swimming in ice cold water. The shock to the persons body initially starts the body temperature decrease and in water, your body temperature will drop 25 times faster.

(Buchholz) became hypothermic and he just locked up. We dont recommend anybody going swimming this time of year, but the air temperature was misleading almost to a point where he was probably sweating, so he probably thought Ill jump in the lake and cool off.

Alexander recommended the use of water flotation devices or life jackets when swimming, something he said Buchholz was not wearing.

Water safety is not to be taken lightly, Alexander said.

Buchholzs father notified authorities of the drowning Sunday. The Barren County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marine Corps of Engineers and the rescue squads of Barren, Allen and Warren counties all responded to the scene.

Barren County Rescue Squad workers found Buchholzs body and he was pronounced dead at 6:43 p.m. at T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow.

Its a heartbreaker, Wood said. Its just one of those really sad situations.

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