Danger: Shallow Water

The Mottle family moved from West Springfield, Massachusetts, to a home on Point Grove Road in Southwick. 

The Mottle's teenage son, John, frequented Congamond Lake for summer fun and to escape the heat; the diving board provided much entertainment. And that was the case when John and his friend Allan Almeida* swam in North Pond on August 25, 1947. 

When John jumped sideways off the diving board and into the water, he never resurfaced. Allan rushed to his aid and pulled him ashore. Seeing that John was in trouble, he got help. 

An ambulance took John to Noble Hospital. He was immediately placed on the danger list after a doctor found that he had broken his neck, for John had dove into shallow water, about two feet deep. 

John showed signs of improvement on August 27, but they were short-lived. 

John Francis Mottle: July 6, 1931 - September 3, 1947.

*believed to be his correct name.