Not knowing how to swim didn’t stop a man from trying to save the life of a child who fell in a river.
Victor Mozqueda was at Sequoia National Park when a 5-year-old boy fell in the river. Mozqueda was at the park with family friends, including the little boy.
Ivan Gonzalez, Mozqueda's brother-in-law, said that Mozqueda didn't know how to swim but was able to keep Vincent Gonzalez on top of his head above water. Mozqueda and Gonzalez did go under the water a few times, but he was able to toss the boy from the water to the boy's father, KTLA reported.
The boy's parents jumped into the river after Mozqueda. And two fishermen helped getting them and the child from the water with one of the fishermen performing CPR on the boy, resuscitating him, KTLA reported.
Mozqueda was swept down river. Recovery crews retrieved his body about two hours after he was swept away.
Mozqueda’s death was the second in two weeks at the park. A similar incident happened in the same location earlier.
"In both cases, the family members who jumped in after the children did not survive," Sequoia District Ranger Dave Fox told KTLA in a statement. "The rocks are super slick on the river's edge, and people should avoid getting close to the water." Fox suggested to enjoy the river from afar, away from the bank's rocks.
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