New York Woman Drowns in Paddleboard Yoga Class Accident After Trying to Help Another Woman
A woman in New York drowned during a stand-up paddleboard yoga class on Friday morning, according to police.
Lisa Margaritis was attempting to help another woman in her paddleboarding class who was caught in a current under a bridge in Hashamomuck Pond, Southold Police chief Martin Flatley said in a news release obtained by CNN.
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Authorities say Margaritis’ paddleboard became stuck on a Long Island Rail Road bridge piling, causing her to fall into the water.
Three women in the paddleboard yoga class paddled under the Long Island Rail Road bridge near Mill Creek and Hashamomuck Pond when one of them got into trouble in the strong current, according to the Suffolk Times.
The 48-year-old registered nurse, who was an experienced paddleboarder, could not free herself due to being tethered to the paddleboard, CNN reported. A jogger who happened to witness the scene jumped into the water and freed Margaritis from the tether and brought her on land.
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She was pronounced dead at Eastern Long Island Hospital shortly thereafter.
Margaritis’ mother, Jean Weber, told Newsday she was “devastated” over her only daughter’s death, but was not surprised to hear that Margaritis was helping someone else who was in danger in the process.
“She was a hero in my eyes, a very good kid,” Weber said. “She wanted to save somebody else. She was always kind.”
