Man Dies Trying to Rescue Girl in Surf
A 6-year-old girl slipped on a rock and was swept into the ocean off Laguna Beach, triggering rescue efforts that left the child and her mother hospitalized and the woman’s male companion dead, authorities said Sunday.
According to onlookers, the couple and child were walking along the rocks at Diver’s Cove about 2:30 p.m. when the girl, Brooke Poling, slipped into the churning waters. Witnesses said her mother, Angelica Cuevas, 26, and male friend, Zackery Kunler, 24, jumped in.
He was later pronounced dead at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center. The woman was taken to South Coast Medical Center where she was in critical condition. Her daughter was listed in good condition at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Ray Lardie.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
