SC drowning victim floated by 2 lifeguard stands before rescue by beachgoer, suit says
The family of a Florida man who drowned two years ago in North Myrtle Beach has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, claiming lifeguards and beach officials failed to protect the vacationer from going into the ocean.
Michael Letzkus, 30, of Sanford, Florida, died three days after being pulled from the ocean on July 19, 2023, near Sea Cabin Pier in the Cherry Grove area.
His father, Michael Letzkus Sr., filed the lawsuit against the City of North Myrtle Beach claiming negligence on the part of the city and lifeguards who failed to see Letzkus in the water that day. Letzkus floated by two lifeguard stands and was nearing a third before he was rescued by another person on the beach one mile from where he originally entered the water, the suit says.
The city doesn’t comment on pending litigation, public information officer Lauren Jessie said by text.
Letzkus was vacationing near 53rd Avenue in North Myrtle Beach with a large group of family and friends, according to previous reporting.
North Myrtle Beach rescue crews responded to the drowning at about 5:10 p.m. July 19, according to North Myrtle Beach Police Officer Pat Wilkinson at the time.
The ocean conditions were “extremely dangerous” on the afternoon of July 19, and the riptides were severe, the suit says. However, the flag posted was yellow, not red, which would have prevented Letzkus from going into the water above waist deep before being called back by a lifeguard, the suit said.
“It is clear that the duty to warn accurately was breached by the lifeguard coordinator,” the suit said.
Luis Luna, a vacationer from Pennsylvania, swam out to Letzkus, who was by the pier, to pull him to shore, the suit said. Luna swam to Letzkus, grabbing him around the neck, and then swimming toward the shore with him. He was eventually assisted by others who managed to bring the man onto the beach.
Letzkus died three days later in the ICU due to “deprivation of oxygen to his brain suffered while in the water,” the suit said.
“The lifeguard coordinator, a member of the NMB police force, undertook a duty to warn those using the beach, especially tourists unfamiliar with dangerous tide conditions and rip currents,” the suit said.
The suit claims that one lifeguard on the scene the day of Letzkus’ drowning said, “The rips were brutal, I can’t believe it wasn’t red flagged,” the suit said. Another lifeguard stated that guards were involved in several rescues that day prior to Letzkus’, the suit said.
“It defies all bounds of reason that trained lifeguards diligently scanning the water with binoculars did not detect Letzkus Jr.,” the suit said. “It is utterly ridiculous that during Luna’s rescue the lifeguards didn’t see what was happening and assist him.”
The suit said that city officials will argue that Letzkus was intoxicated when he entered the water. “Although that may be true, it can’t be said with any degree of certainty that his intoxication caused or contributed to his death,” the suit said.
The suit, filed on July 18, 2025, is seeking a jury trial.
