Woman drowns at Wendt Beach trying to rescue girls

A 51-year-old Buffalo woman drowned while trying to rescue her 11-year-old daughter and another child from the rough waters of Lake Erie off Wendt Beach, Evans police reported Friday morning. People on the beach called 911 around 7:00 p.m. when they realized they couldn’t see the girls out in the water. “They did notice a young girl bobbing in the water and one of my lieutenants stripped his uniform, stripped his firearm, and ran into the water about a hundred yards out and grabbed the girl”. That’s when a woman went in after them, but she soon went underwater.

An upstate New York sacrificed her life for two little girls, jumping into Lake Erie to rescue them from drowning Thursday night.

The body of Mary E. Creighton was found approximately an hour after authorities received a report of two children and a parent in possible distress in the water Thursday evening.

“I want to commend the officers from the Town of Evans Police Department”.

The girls, ages 10 and 11, began struggling in the risky waters about 100 yards from shore when the woman rushed in to try and help them.

The 10-year-old girl was able to make her way back to shore with the help of a bystander. “He became in trouble and one of my other officers ran in and rescued both of them”, said Evans Police Chief Ernie Masullo. It was very tough to do search operation with the type of waves that were throwing them around out there. “It was very, very rough when we got down here”, says District Chief Nick Mecca with the North Evans Fire District.

The girls were taken to a hospital in serious condition.

However, swimming is allowed at nearby Bennet Beach, but lifeguards kept people from going too far into the water because of high waves and rough water. Wendt is a non-swimming beach due to rocky conditions and no lifeguard on duty.