Woman dies trying to save ‘someone she loved’ from Puerto Rico rip current, family says

An Indiana woman died after her family says she jumped into the ocean to save a loved one from drowning.

Cimone Alicea Dawson, 22, was visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico , with friends in early September, according to a Sept. 11 news release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

On the night of Sept. 8, two of the people she was with got caught in a rip current, officials said.

That’s when Dawson jumped in the water to try to save them, her family told WTHR.

“Her girlfriend was starting to drown. She ran out there to save her girlfriend. It was other family members too in the water that needed saved, which bystanders help assisted, but it was three of them in the water struggling. The two of them the bystanders got, and while Cimone was on the way to her girlfriend, the current took her,” her cousin, Siajhanai Wean, told the news outlet.

Dawson’s body was recovered “submerged and unresponsive off Condado Beach in San Juan” the following afternoon, officials said.

On a GoFundMe page, her family said she “died a hero.”

“Cimone lost her life trying to save someone she loved, a true testament to her incredible spirit. She touched the hearts of so many and inspired us all to do better and be better people,” the GoFundMe page said.

Dawson was a player with the SFAAA Softball League , according to a Facebook post.

“In a heartbreaking accident, Cimone drowned after being caught in a riptide while attempting to rescue two friends. Her bravery saved their lives, but she ultimately lost her own,” the post said.

The two other people struggling in the water were rescued by bystanders and authorities, officials said.

What is a rip current?

Rip currents are “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water” that happen on the coasts of the U.S. and in the Great Lakes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About 100 people are killed by rip currents each year in the U.S., NOAA reported. Lifeguards rescue thousands of people from rip currents annually.

Experts say people can take steps to stay safe from rip currents , including:

• Check the local water conditions before getting in.

• Talk to a lifeguard at the beach about the conditions.

• Only swim at beaches where lifeguards are present.

• Don’t assume great weather means good swimming conditions.

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