It’s already been a disastrous summer on Lake Michigan, but a tragic event in Wisconsin shows that even smaller bodies of water can be lethal.
A teen from the southwest Chicago suburb of Romeoville drowned while attending summer camp.
Langston Britton, 14, was steadfast in his faith. He was so grounded that he shared his ideas with the world via TikTok and YouTube.
“He is a leader,” said Pastor John Ciesniewski of Community Christian Church in Plainfield. “He’s got a smile, and a charisma that cause people to want to follow him, be like him, be around him.”
Pastor Ciesniewski has known Langston since the kid was born. Ciensiewski attended a Wisconsin summer camp with 400 other youngsters last week and went swimming on one of the days.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare for sure, and just, you never think it’s going to be your kid,” the sermon’s speaker added.
According to the camp, the boy’s companions notified lifeguards, who arrived swiftly. They said the lifeguards rescued Langston and performed CPR until emergency crews arrived. But Langston died.
Langston’s relatives told Ciesniewski that he was a strong swimmer.
“So clearly, something happened,” Ciesniewski explained.
Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project stated that many things may have happened.
“There could be drop-offs, there could be debris, something that could kind of spook you,” Benjamin told me.
Banjamin stated that even in smaller lakes, anything could lead someone to panic and inhale water.
Langston’s death follows the drowning of a 14-year-old kid in Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion.
“For anyone who says they know they can swim, go to your local pool that has lap lanes and see,” Benjamin told them. “Can you swim the entire length of the pool?” “Could you swim two lengths?”
Ciesniewski said Langston’s parents, like their son, rely on their faith.
“The first people they prayed for were the first responders, for the lifeguards who pulled him out of the water,” according to Ciensiewski. “May they experience no shame or guilt. “It is not their fault.”
The pastor expressed gratitude for Langston’s 14 years of service.
Following Langston’s death, the church sent all of the students and adult leaders home, canceling the middle school camp for the following week.
