Dayton man dies swimming at Buck Creek State Park - Dayton Daily News

By Bethany Bruner, Staff Writer 9:07 PM Tuesday, June 26, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — A 27-year-old Dayton man swimming with friends at Buck Creek State Park died in the water Tuesday afternoon.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the man on Tuesday evening as John William Parker.

A cause of death hasn't been confirmed and Clark County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott Elliott said the coroner's office would perform an autopsy.

That will determine if a medical condition could have contributed to the death, as well as if drugs or alcohol were involved.

"We can't determine anything for sure until the autopsy," he said of the possible drowning.

Bystander Mark Collinsworth, of Springfield, was watching the beach at the C.J. Brown Reservoir through binoculars from a pavilion when he noticed a group of people swimming and saw one person not resurface about 2 p.m. He then called 911.

Collinsworth said a park ranger told a group of people to walk in the water holding hands and after several sweeps saw the man come to the surface.

"They jerked him up on the beach as quick as they could," he said.

Members of the group took turns performing CPR until medics arrived, Collinsworth said.

CareFlight was called to the scene, and paramedics also performed CPR but were unable to revive Parker.

Elliott said he was only underwater for a few minutes, but Collinsworth said it might have been a little longer.

Parker was in the designated swim zone at the time he went under the water.

"He wasn't too far out," Elliott said.

Collinsworth said he had seen the two men out in the water swimming.

"They looked like they were having fun," he said.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Moorefield Twp. Fire and EMS responded.

It is the first possible drowning at the park since 2006, according to Bethany McCorkle, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Three deaths have occurred at the park in the past 10 years, two in 2006 and one in 2005.

In 2011, seven people drowned at state parks.

The reservoir at the Buck Creek State Park doesn't have lifeguards. McCorkle said swimmers at the park should always swim in pairs and in well-seen areas as a precaution.

Staff Writer Andrew Mundhenk contributed to this report.