Yolanda George, mother of Christopher Gilbert, calls on police to make arrest after incident in Louisiana in April
The family of a 26-year-old Louisiana man who has brain damage after a friend allegedly pushed him into a lake despite him being unable to swim is calling on authorities to deliver them justice.
Christopher Gilbert’s family’s pleas came after he nearly drowned on 14 April while at a lakefront restaurant by Lake D’Arbonne in the northern Louisiana town of Farmerville.
Speaking to the local news station KSLA, Gilbert’s mother Yolanda George said: “A friend of his called. She was hysterical, crying on the phone. She told me that Chris had [fallen] into the lake, and he had been underwater for 20 minutes or so.”
George said her son – an aspiring medical doctor – was rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. She added: “The doctor called us in and told me that at that time, he was brain-dead, pretty much, and the rest of his organs were starting to fail, and that we had 72 hours on” life support, though Gilbert later regained consciousness and the ability to eat on his own.
Do you have a friend who knows how to swim? It isn’t difficult to teach someone the basics of swimming for survival—floating, kicking, and a basic stroke to get to the edge. I know I’d be willing to teach any friend who didn’t know how for free, and I imagine a lot of other swim capable people would feel the same since it is such a safety issue.
Friends have tried but I’m not gonna lie, they fail because of me. I’m very scary when my feet leave the ground. Pool party? Yeah sure I’ll go, but once the water is neck level with my feet down, I’m going back shallow.
One time I was making real progress and some drunk person almost drowned, interrupting the lesson.
You can learn to swim in water that is shallow enough to stand in. And if being safe in the event of a pychopathic ‘prank’ is the primary concern, focus on learning how to tread water. Everything will seem easier once you know for sure that you can keep your head above water. Most people who are enjoying a pool or the sea are not actually swimming anywhere anyway.
Some people just don’t want to learn to swim. My mother is one of them. The whole idea gives her too much anxiety. I don’t really have an issue if they don’t want to get in the pool.
I hope you can find a way to learn that works for you. No need to leave the shallow end—even if you only learn to float, then you’ve learned to survive. Good luck! You’ll get this!
Have you tried water wings? I’m not joking, they’ll look silly, but shouldn’t be necessary for too long.