Family of 2023 drowning victim to sue North Myrtle Beach, attorney says

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The family of a Florida man who drowned while swimming off the coast in North Myrtle Beach last summer is suing the city.

Michael Letzkus, 30, of Sanford, Fla., died July 26, 2023 at Seacoast Hospital — five days after being pulled from the water near 54th Avenue N where beachgoers noticed him floating face down.

Attorney Larry Powers claims that Letzkus would have passed two lifeguard stands and approached a third. The complaint names North Myrtle Beach as defendant. Powers told News13 on Monday that the city has denied claims in the suit without providing further explanation.

Powers said it wasn’t until about 45 minutes after Letzkus entered the ocean that his body was found a mile away.

“They don’t care, quite frankly, if they get money from this lawsuit. If they could make some form of meaningful difference in terms of the prevention of this happening to another family, that’s all they want,” Powers said.

News13 reached out to city leaders for comment but didn’t hear back.

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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook , or Instagram , and read more of her work he r e .

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