A man escaping the heat Monday evening at Tacoma's Titlow Beach was apparently sucked into a culvert that leads to a lagoon at Titlow Park and Lodge. He later died at an area hospital, according to Tacoma police and fire departments.
The incident began around 7:45 p.m. when the 68-year-old man was on a personal flotation device in Puget Sound, according to Tacoma police spokesperson detective William Muse. At some point, according to a companion's report, the man got off the device and was standing in chest-high water. Shortly thereafter, he disappeared under the water, possibly in a whirlpool.
A culvert that runs underneath railroad tracks and a walking trail transfers tidal water between Puget Sound and the Titlow lagoon. When the tide comes in or rises, water flows into the lagoon. At low tide, the lagoon drains back into the Sound.
Monday's high tide at the Tacoma Narrows occurred at 9:13 p.m., according to NOAA. Titlow Beach is located at the western end of 6th Avenue and at the south end of the Narrows.
Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepard said her department received the call as a person trapped in a confined space. When crews arrived on scene, they quickly located the victim in the lagoon.
The man had a pulse, Shepard said, and was transported to a hospital where he died.
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