Juvenile dies after March 13 tubing incident on Tsala Apopka Lake near Inverness
On March 13, at approximately 3:30 pm, a single vessel incident occurred on the north canal of Tsala Apopka Lake within Citrus County. The vessel's operator was traveling north at an unknown speed in the north canal, with a juvenile passenger in the vessel as another juvenile was being pulled on a tube behind the vessel. The operator was navigating through a left-hand curve when the tube swung to the right, hitting a cypress tree and knocking the victim into the water. After a 30-minute search, the victim was located. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was performed immediately and emergency medical services continued life-saving efforts while transporting the victim to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where the juvenile was later pronounced deceased.
This is an ongoing investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the name of the deceased juvenile was not released.