The family and friends of 41-year-old Wilbert Clark are trying to come to terms with his death. He was swimming yesterday afternoon when he suddenly went underwater and did not resurface.
Clark usually spent most of his days hanging out at a corner in his neighborhood, but after yesterday's incident, his block is now blanketed in grief.
Courtney Menzies visited the area today and has this story.
Today, the close knit block on Pigeon and Parakeet Streets were mourning the loss of one of their close friends. 41-year-old Wilbert Clark drowned yesterday in the sea at a popular swimming location in Vista Del Mar.
According to his cousin, they decided to spend the afternoon relaxing, but then some time around 3, he noticed Clark was missing.
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"When I spot him, I said, because I hang with Wilbert everyday so I know that he can't hold his breath that long so when I saw him down, I count to five and I noticed he doesn't have the lungs for that because I know him and I know he smokes hard, he drinks hard, so I say, something is wrong. So right away, I didn't ask any questions, I just ran to the water, pull him out, and I pulled him way to the beachside and I started to try to resuscitate him."
"When we put him in the truck back, I was still trying, and I told him, you're not going to go without me, because that's my family. He is the one that hangs out with me everyday, everyday so I get really emotional because I miss him and he's always with me. And I did it until we reached, water came out, everything, he started to breathe for a little while and he still went from me."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you guys go swim there often?"
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"No. I think that's the second time me and Wilbert ever went back there together."
Courtney Menzies:
"So you wouldn't say that he's a strong swimmer?"
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"No."
Courtney Menzies:
"And is the water deep?"
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"Where he was at the moment wasn't, he was like right here. I don't know if he drank too much or if he caught a stroke because when I was resuscitating him, first it was just foam, then afterwards the water started coming out, so I don't know what to say, because I don't know anything like that."
But despite Middleton's best efforts, Clark passed away, and while his friends and family gathered at their normal spot, his absence was deeply felt.
Kazia Arnold, Close Friend of Deceased
"I'm still in shock, honestly I'm still in shock, because was with him last week Tuesday. He did some errands for me and he told me, let's celebrate, and I told him, I don't want to drink today, Wilbert, and he said, don't look at it as drinking today, look at it as an achievement you made today, I won't get into details, but it was an achievement that I made the day, last week Tuesday. So he said look at it that way, so he was a brother to me, not just a friend, a brother. Wilbert was my brother from another mother."
"I'm surprised because Wilbert is not somebody who goes into water, she took him to Captain Hook and he does not go into water, he go with us to the sea, and he does not go into water so it's very surprising to me that he went into the sea because that's not him. And if me and Dawn were there, that was not going to happen, because we take good care of him, no matter what. So all we have now are memories of him."
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"Fun, great guy, he's a great guy, if randomly you come and ask for somebody to go to the shop, Wilbert will do that for you. He's just a fun, outgoing guy, he just makes everybody feel happy, so right now, the whole block sad."
Courtney Menzies:
"He hangs out here with you guys everyday?"
Rashield Middleton, Cousin of Deceased
"Everyday, everyday, Wilbert hang with we, and if we don't see Wilbert, something's wrong, so right now, the whole block messed up."
Clark leaves behind one daughter who resides in the US.
