Kayaker without life jacket dies is Caloosahatchee River

A man was found dead after an incident along the Caloosahatchee River Sunday afternoon. According to FWC, a 24-year-old man from Indiana fell into the water while kayaking.

“It’s tragic. I hate to hear it; I hate to see it. People, when they come down here really should be wearing life jackets,” fellow kayaker John Paeno says.

According to FWC, the victim was not wearing a life jacket. “It’s a lifesaver. That’s the bottom line,” Paeno says.

Batallion chief Marc Mascarelli coordinates the Lee County marine emergency response. He told WINK News it’s encouraged to always wear life jackets in any type of water sport because you just never know when your luck is going to run out.

“As a first responder, it’s definitely disheartening to find out that just putting one of these one could’ve made a difference that day for that person,” Mascarelli says.

Mascarelli raised a serious question, “they cost somewhere around $50 to $60. But what’s your life worth when it comes down to wearing a life jacket? What’s your life worth?”

Experience can often be the best teacher. With 20 years of experience renting kayaks Paeno knows the importance of life jackets.

Paeno said, “I’ve been out there by myself, and I’ve had things happen. And if I didn’t have the right safety devices, or this, the right safety equipment, I would have been in trouble.”