Texas Game Wardens Rescue Child Who Drifted From Magnolia Beach to Matagorda Channel
When I was scrolling through my feed on Tuesday I noticed this story about a six-year-old girl who was swept away on a raft on Lavaca Bay over in Calhoun County.
PortLavacaWave.com reports that as the wind picked up near Magnolia Beach that a young girl who was floating on an inner tube was carried away from her family and out into the open water.
Thankfully, Texas Game Warden Ben Bailey was nearby. Ben was on the beach to keep an eye out for water safety enforcement when he received a call from the Calhoun County Sherrif's Office about a person in distress out on the water. The Calhoun Sheriff's office informed Bailey of the six-year-old girl floating on a small inner tube. The child had been swimming with her grandma at Magnolia Beach when the wind and waves separated them and creating a scary situation for the family.
Bailey who can be seen with the girl in the photo at the top of the article was able to get out on the water and make his way over to the child who had drifted about 1200 yards from the beach and was starting to drift into the Matagorda shipping channel. Can you imagine looking up and seeing one of your kids floating on their innertube into the shipping channel?
Bailey said the child shared a great big hug with him after he lifted her out of the water and onto the boat. The child was brought back to shore and reunited with her Grandmother before being evaluated by Calhoun County EMS workers. She was in good condition and able to head back home with her Grandmother.
It's another chance for us to say thank you to our Texas Game Wardens who make such a difference on a daily basis. Thank you, Ben Bailey!