By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BURRILLVILLE — Last Sunday was the kind of day Burrillville Parks and Recreation Director Cheri R. Hall had been waiting weeks for.

The sun was out, the mercury was pushing 80 degrees and the 750 feet of beach front at Spring Lake Beach was teeming with sunbathers enjoying the first good stretch of summer sun in weeks.
The concessions were busy and the antique penny arcade was overflowing with kids comfortably settling into their summer vacation.
Summer had finally arrived at Spring Lake Beach.
That euphoria, however, was short lived.
At around 3 o’clock that afternoon, Hall was told that 29-year-old Gregg Goyer, who had come to the beach that day with his mother and brother, was missing. His family last saw Goyer around 1 p.m. and began looking for him, but they thought maybe he had gone home or was in the arcade.
When beach crews were unable to find the man, the police were called around 4 p.m.
Lifeguards would later find Goyer around 5:50 p.m. at the bottom of the lake, perhaps 25 yards from shore, near the floating dock area. Police believe that Goyer drowned, but the state medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Goyer’s death marks the first drowning at the town-operated lake in recent memory and the tragedy has left Hall’s crew of trained lifeguards feeling upset and helpless.
“This was a terrible tragedy and our sympathy and condolences go out to his family,” said Hall, adding this was the first time ever that someone has drowned in the beach area.
“A person drowned at the lake several years ago, but we’ve never had anything like this happen at the beach,” she said.
Because it was so crowded on Sunday, Hall had five of her 10 certified and trained lifeguards on duty, including three of her senior lifeguards. It was more than the minimum number of lifeguards she was required to have on the beach that day, but she felt it was necessary.
But even that kind of vigilance wasn’t enough to save Goyer, who’s drowning apparently escaped the notice of just about everyone on the beach. His body was recovered 25 yards from shore in water that was just about eight feet deep, yet no one had heard any commotion or cries for help.
According to Hall, no one saw or heard anything unusual. In fact, there was no reason to believe anything had happened until Goyer’s family reported him missing.
Even if the lifeguards hadn’t noticed Goyer struggling, there were plenty of people in the water in that exact spot who would have.
“But no one did,” Hall said
Goyer’s death, she said, has left her lifeguards feeling guilty and wishing there’s was more they could have done.
“They’re all wondering how this could have happened. It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “They are taking it personally, but I don’t believe based on the circumstances there was anything they could have done.”
Police reports described the lifeguards as “teenagers,” but Hall said her lifeguards are actually college-age young men and women trained and certified in water rescue, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid. She has two seasoned lifeguards that have been working at Spring Lake Beach for several summers.
Hall said the lifeguards on duty that day did what they’d been trained to do: They searched in a matrix and found Goyer around 5:50 p.m. near the floating dock.
Hall says although a lifeguard is there to save lives, the primary role of any lifeguard is to prevent incidents from occurring in the first place and that’s why her crew is taking Sunday’s tragedy so personally.
The Harrisville Fire Department provided counseling for the lifeguards on Sunday, Hall said. “I think that helped a lot. I sat down with my two seasoned lifeguards and they’re doing much better.”