Friends hold memorial, lament being unable to save 17-year-old who drowned in Lake Washington
SEATTLE -- In a heartbreaking moment Monday, a group of friends mourned the loss of 17-year-old Cuong Uong and recalled being unable to help the teen who drowned in Lake Washington.
“He and his friends were yelling for help. I didn`t hear anything” girlfriend Linh Ly said.
Cuong’s girlfriend was too far to hear his cries for help but friends in the water with him say after 15 minutes the teen started to struggle.
“I think when he tried to make it over there, the middle of the way he got like a pulled muscle, he couldn't make it back,” friend Nhan Nguyen said.
“I tried to help him but I can’t,” friend Quan Ton said.
Quan desperately tried to save Cuong but it was too late.
“I was hoping I could go to the hospital and he would make it but he didn`t,” Ly said.
Friends say Cuong was a good swimmer, making the drowning even more unbelievable.
“I can’t believe he`s gone forever,” Nguyen said.
“I didn`t even get to say goodbye,” Ly added.
During the waterside memorial, the girlfriend tried to get close to the spot where Cuong went under.
She was mourning for her loss but also grieving for Cuong`s parents, now struggling to pay for his funeral.
Friends say Cuong and his dad moved to the United States from Vietnam three years ago. The family doesn't have a lot of money so after a day of school, Cuong would work overnights cleaning businesses to save money. His girlfriend says he wanted to use the money to bring his mom over from Vietnam.
The family has set up a fund to help with funeral costs: https://centralcommunity.givingfire.com