A third person has died from complications of a drowning incident on Grand Isle on Friday. 33-year-old Terrell Miller of Houma died in a hospital following his attempt to rescue his fiance’s children, 9-year-old Dalvin Richardson and 8-year-old Davon Richardson. Grand Isle Police Chief Laine Landry says a day of celebration turned tragic in an instant.
“They were out for a day trip. I believe they were out there for Davon’s birthday,” said Landry.
A 12-year-old female relative who was also rescued is expected to make a full recovery.
Over the last two weeks, there have been eleven calls for water rescues, with four fatalities. In addition to larger crowds, Landry believes there are three other contributing factors to the dangerous conditions.
“We’re having abnormally high tides, we’re having rougher seas than normal with ground swells and then also the Corp of Engineers is in the process of installing some new breakwaters for beach protection,” said Landy.
Landry says they are sending a clear message to beach goers about being vigilant of rough seas and strong currents.
“Please wear a Coast Guard approved floatation device when you are in the water and in the process now, I’m urging people to stay away from the west end of Grand Isle completely and just use other public access points,” said Landry.
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