From Sheriff’s Department
The Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a call of three people in the water at Matagorda Beach in distress at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 30.
There soon would be seven people in the water, with a sheriff’s deputy, a Game Warden boat, a Coast Guard helicopter, EMS, Life Flight helicopters from Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, kayakers and several other people all trying to reach and/or help the distressed swimmers.
The area was at or near 3 Mile Cut about 250 yards out in the water. Deputy Mario Lerma was on the beach working beach patrol and responded to the area.
Two people swam out to try and help the three people in the water. Lerma saw a subject on a kayak going out in the water to help.
When the kayak got to the three people, the kayak turned over and there were four people in the water hanging on to the kayak.
Another kayak went out to help and was turned over as well.
At one time there were seven people in the water and they all made it back to shore.
The Texas Game Wardens were called as well as The Coast Guard.
The Game Wardens had a boat in the water and the conditions were very rough.
The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to help.
EMS was notified and made scene and requested multiple Life Flight Helicopters which landed around the helipad on the beach access road.
The family that was in distress consisted of the mother, father, son and the son’s girlfriend, all from Killeen.
The son, Jaiden Ablies, 18, and his girlfriend Jada Sanchez, 17, were Life Flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
As of Sunday night, they were in stable condition.
There were three people taken by ambulance to Matagorda Regional Medical Center – two people refused treatment and were OK.