Mission Viejo Teen-Ager Drowns in Lake

A 15-year-old boy drowned Thursday afternoon while swimming at Lake Mission Viejo with his father and friends.

Michael Mimbs of Mission Viejo was within a cordoned-off area reserved for swimming at the popular lake, which had four lifeguards and about 200 visitors at the time, said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority.

About 2:45 p.m., witnesses saw Mimbs 50 yards from the beach in water about 8 feet deep, wearing goggles as he dived beneath the surface several times. Witnesses became alarmed when they didn’t see Mimbs resurface and notified lifeguards, who searched the water, Brown said.

The teen might have been underwater about 10 minutes before he was pulled out, Brown said. Lifeguards performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived. Mimbs was pronounced dead on arrival at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center.

Brown said the lifeguards’ response was “textbook” and the water-safety program at the lake is a model for others. But even with that, “Sometimes there’s just nothing we can do.

“This shows drownings can happen anywhere, any time, in a matter of seconds,” Brown said. “Everyone should take extra caution around any body of water.”

He didn’t know how well Mimbs could swim or where he was in proximity to his father, whose name was unavailable late Thursday.

Mimbs was at least the fifth child to drown in Orange County this year. On Wednesday, a 3-year-old boy drowned after falling into a backyard pool in Santa Ana.

Last year, Orange County led the nation in child drownings, with 15 deaths and 20 near-deaths. It’s the leading cause of accidental death for children in the county, Brown said, adding that parents and guardians need to watch children in the water, even when lifeguards are around.

Brown stressed that anyone interested in literature on drowning prevention or information on free cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes should call the Orange County Fire Authority at (714) 744-0496.