Days after the world learned the shocking news of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death, authorities have released more information about the events that led up to the beloved actor’s tragic passing while on a family vacation.
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According to ABC News’ reporting, surfers rushed to help when they spotted Warner and his eight-year-old daughter struggling while they were swimming on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast just after 2:00 pm on July 20. One of the surfers was able to bring Warner’s daughter safely to shore on his board. But volunteers, who joined the rescue effort and pulled Warner to shore, were unable to revive him.
The Costa Rican Red Cross also arrived on the scene to help, telling PEOPLE that paramedics performed CPR on Warner for over 20 minutes but were unable to revive him. The Judicial Investigation Agency confirmed to PEOPLE that Warner was “apparently swept away by a current.” An autopsy listed Warner’s cause of death as accidental “asphyxia by submersion,” the medical and forensic term for drowning. His death was ruled an accident.
Playa Grande, where Warner and his family were swimming, is known for being one of the most dangerous beaches in the area. Warning signs in English and Spanish for rip currents and a high risk of drowning are prominent throughout the area.
In a July 21 Facebook post, Costa Rica’s volunteer lifeguard association, Caribbean Guard, shared a message to the country’s president, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, to implement policies that will help prevent more tragic accidents like Warner’s from taking place on Costa Rica’s beaches.
“From Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard association, we make an urgent appeal to the President of the Nation, the national government, the Municipality of Talamanca, and the entire Caribbean community to continue joining forces to minimize this problem, which, sadly, is on the rise ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY,” the post read in part. Their statement declared how they have “saved numerous lives in recent years, and if Caribbean Guard didn’t exist, drownings would count by the dozens. We do our part to minimize risks but if we don’t have government help, clear public policies and strong support from local entrepreneurs, this will keep happening.”
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