Lake Washington Paddle-Boarder Dies After Falling In the Water

A Kirkland man died Monday evening several hours after being pulled out of Lake Washington unresponsive, according to Evergreen Hospital Medical Center.

The man, who was pulled out of Lake Washington near Kirkland's Brink Park after he fell off his paddleboard and couldn't get back on, was identified as 35-year-old Tyrone Fabroa.

Apparently the two on-lookers swam out and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man after seeing him in the water struggling, said Detective Allan O’Neill at the scene.

“They are a couple of heroes,” said O’Neill, referring to the pair who helped the man. “We thank them for doing this. It takes a lot to go into the water and do something like this.”

EMTs then arrived, and the man was brought to shore and taken to . He arrived there shortly after noon Monday in critical condition and remained in that condition at 4 p.m., said hospital spokeswoman Kay Taylor.

The man was on a stand-up paddleboard with a friend or relative on another board in moderately windy conditions and choppy waters when he fell off about 25 feet from shore. Apparently he could not get back on the board.

“He tried to get back on, then went under water,” O’Neill said.

Kirkland Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe Sanford said the man was unresponsive when two EMTs went into the water and pulled him ashore.

“At least one citizen was attempting to do CPR, which was difficult,” Sanford said. "We pulled (the victim) in and transported him to the hospital.”

The man was wearing a Coast Guard approved life vest when the accident occurred, on the lake just south of , around the 700 block of Lake Street South.