Wildomar man drowns

A 24-year-old Wildomar man drowned in Lake Elsinore after the boat in which he was sitting was capsized by the wake of another boat.

Patrick Ballard was pronounced dead at a local hospital. His companions told police he did not know how to swim.

Lake Elsinore police said that on Saturday, June 24, at about 12:41 p.m. the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting a possible drowning off the 16000 block of Grand Avenue. Lake patrol deputies from the Lake Elsinore Station and members from the Lake Elsinore Marine Search and Rescue responded to the scene.

Upon arrival they located two men in their 20s, also from Wildomar, on the shoreline. Paramedics from the California Department of Forestry were administering emergency medical aid to the two. The two surviving men were transported to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center. Ballard remained missing at the time.

Several good Samaritans also responded to the area and began to assist in the search for the missing man. At approximately 1:32 p.m. Ballard was found submerged in about seven feet of water. Paramedics administered emergency medical aid and transported the victim to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at about 2:30 p.m.

The investigation determined the three were fishing off the shore in the 16000 block of Grand Avenue in Lakeland Village. They noticed the hull of a six-foot sailboat on the property adjacent to where they had been fishing. The three decided to use the sailboat and paddled out to the lake to fish near some trees. A passing vessel created a wake that caused the sailboat to capsize. All three fell into the water and two struggled to return to shore.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Lake Elsinore Station at (951) 245-3300.