A 58-year-old Argentine businessman from Neuquén died on Sunday in Punta del Este, after being
swept away by the current
.
This is David "Pino" Leporace, who was on vacation in the Uruguayan city with his wife Cristina Bonelli.
The news caused consternation in San Martín de los Andes, where Leporace had been installed for a long time.
An engineer, owner of real estate businesses, he was in charge of Fiambres y Quesos La Montaña, a store founded in 1990, where "you can
find the best cooked ham in the place
."
A worker, athlete and adventurer, a supportive neighbor in pursuit of the growth of the city, Pino was very loved by the resident of the tourist paradise, who expressed himself massively on social networks with great affection.
The traffic incident occurred on
Sunday afternoon, after 3:30 p.m., at Parada 27 and La Brava, "a complex area
, with many breaks, where surfing is practiced and it is an area with a bad reputation, with many rescues last summer "said a lifeguard from Esteño who spoke with
Clarín
.
"The man was caught by a return current that took him too far from the coast... The lifeguards warned him and jumped in to rescue him, but they couldn't. Luckily he didn't sink, because otherwise we would still be looking for him," said Marcelo. , one of the supervisors of those beaches.
The lifeguard from the Department of Maldonado, with 40 years of experience at sea, did not hesitate.
"It's a second that changes your life. It's a second," he emphasizes.
This was not an accident,
people who do not take precautions are not aware of the danger of the waters.
I traveled all over the world, working as a lifeguard and I bathe in water up to my knees.
And I know how to swim and I have been a lifeguard for 39 seasons."
David "Pino" Leporace.
Photo Facebook
The professional remembers that last Sunday "it was sunny but very windy and there was a red and yellow flag, which means that the water is choppy, intense, not at all docile. La Brava is a brave beach in itself and that area, between stop 25 and 27, is especially complex because there is a lot of rip current.
It is the water that after reaching the shore re-enters the sea with intensity and without waves
. If it had waves it would drag you but leave you on the shore, however, without waves, not only pushes you in but breaks sandbanks and you have no point of support," Marcelo describes.
Two rescuers went out to sea and Leporace was floating but without reaction.
"If drowning had occurred, she would have sunk
."
"All the animation maneuvers were carried out on the man from Neuquén and the defibrillator was applied. The ambulance arrived after seven minutes, but unfortunately nothing could be done, experiencing a scene of deep pain, since his wife was at the scene." .
MG