The family of Justin Raddie, 28, of Gambrills, MD, believes the man was trying to help an animal that wandered onto thin ice when he fell into the frigid, 6-foot-deep waterway and drown, according to reports. His mother, Madonna Brennan, of Gambrills, said Raddie constantly rescued wild animals from being trapped or entangled since he was a young boy.
Raddie's body was discovered after holes in the ice were spotted by a neighbor at Riverton Place and Stepneys Lane around 11:30 a.m. Fire department divers found Raddie, of the 900 block of Echo Bay Court, under the hole farthest from the edge of the pond, which is not fenced. One of Raddie's shoes was found on shore, and the other was on the ice.
Reports say Raddie had been staying with a friend in Edgewater and had walked after work to his house, past the stormwater pond. When someone pointed out the two holes, and guessed that an animal in distress was involved, the Brennans determined it was a good assumption as to how he had drowned.
A funeral was held for Raddie, who was buried at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church Cemetery in Millersville, reports say.
Drowning injuries and deaths are tragic in both consequences and aftermath. Who do you look to for help? The Doan Law Firm P.C. has extensive experience in water safety and water injury and can give you advice and direction. Contact the Doan Law Firm, P.C., led by Houston personal injury attorney Jimmy Doan, at 1 Riverway, Suite 2055, Houston, Texas 77056, (713) 869-4747 or (800) 910-FIRM.