Elizabeth Lovat, a lifeguard and college water polo player from Westchester County, New York, sustained serious spinal injuries while on duty in Huntington Beach, California on July 3. She was immediately rushed to a local hospital and is now in serious but stable condition.
The city of Huntington Beach released a statement concerning the incident and expressed their priority of providing support for Lovat and her family during her recovery.
A fundraising page was created on the Huntington Beach Fire Department Outreach Foundation website, which included a message from the family expressing their gratitude for the outpouring of support they received.
Lovat is a rising senior at Iona University in New Rochelle, where she is studying speech pathology and has achieved All-American status in Women’s D-1 water polo. She is also a Dean’s List student at Huntington High School.
The fundraising page noted her passion for helping others and using her communication skills with American Sign Language to help her community. Furthermore, her father taught her to not be afraid of failure.