Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HEBER CITY — A 17-year-old high school football star tragically drowned Wednesday while swimming during a family outing.
Kalem Franco, of Heber City, was attempting to swim the 100 yards between the shore and the island at Deer Creek Island Resort about 11 a.m. when officials say his body started cramping and he drown.
"He apparently cramped up and was screaming for help (and) went down," said Wasatch County Sheriff Todd Bonner.
Two of Franco's cousins were swimming nearby and attempted to save him, as did a passerby on a personal watercraft who threw the boy a life preserver, Bonner said.
"He couldn't get to the life preserver," he said.
Brent Layton, who works at the resort, said he heard someone was in trouble, so he took a personal watercraft to search the water before rescue crews arrived.
"I parked the machine, and I was just swimming and looking for him up and down, and I couldn't find him," Layton said.
Others circled the area too, Layton said, but they couldn't find Franco either. Using an underwater camera, it took search-and-rescue teams 90 minutes to find the teen's body.
Franco was a popular student and star athlete at Wasatch High School, where he would have been a senior in the fall.
"(He was a) great kid," said Layton, also a Wasatch High student. "He's going to be missed."
Heather Evans, who ran track with Franco, said teammates and classmates are "devastated" by the news of his death.
"Everyone loved him," said Evans, who will be a sophomore at Wasatch High in the fall. "He was super nice to everyone. He made sure everyone felt welcome. He didn't think he was better than anyone. He was just the nicest guy."
Authorities say the late runoff makes the water unseasonably cold. And at 55 degrees, a swimmer could easily get a cramp.
"It will cause your body to start shutting down," Bonner said. "It's very cold water. Hypothermia sets in. It's very dangerous."
Bonner encouraged people recreating in water to wear life preservers, particularly with water temperatures being colder than normal.
"I understand, if you're swimming, a life preserver can probably get in the way a little bit," he said. "But it can also save a life."
The tragedy marks the ninth drowning in Utah since April 16:
Friends and family of Kalem will hold a candlelight vigil for him at Wednesday night at 10:00 on the practice football field at Wasatch High School.
Written by Pat Reavy with contributions from Sandra Yi and Jared Page.
---
