We are sorry to have some sad news from Beaumont, Liberty County, Texas. Two teenagers drown while trying to rescue a 5-year-old boy who fell into the Trinity River.
Cousins Wilmer Rodriguez and Kherson Alvarez were reportedly fishing last Sunday when they saw a man trying to rescue his 5-year-old who fell into the river.
Although he did not know how to swim, Gerson, who also had a newborn baby who was a few days old, jumped into the water without hesitation to try and rescue the little girl. But when he failed to surface, 17-year-old Wilmer tried to go after him
“Wilmer — went in and wanted to help, but neither of them came back up,” Jaerson’s brother-in-law Ariel Osman Nieto said.
Erik Frausto, a friend of Wilmer, said:
“Can you imagine, they didn’t even know how to swim, they didn’t even think, they just jumped to try to help.”
Funeral Fund for Trinity River heroes https://t.co/Nj6Pn0MGCc
— Jeffrey Dow Moore (@JeffreyDowMoor1) August 5, 2020
Nieto reportedly said there were many drinking people in the river that day, although police are not sure if this could have played a role in the deaths of the children. The father reportedly managed to save his daughter, although he himself drank a lot of water from the river and was airlifted to a local hospital.
“God only knows what the mother is feeling right now, not knowing if she’s going to be able to see her baby for the last time,” Frausto said.
Teens who died helping to rescue 5-year-old in Trinity River remembered as selfless, hardworking | "They didn't even think, they just jumped to try to help." https://t.co/SVcx5QnEMq #HTownRush #KHOU
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) August 6, 2020
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help bring the heroes’ bodies back home to their country of Honduras.
“One way or another we’re going to get them back home,” Nieto said.
May these brave souls rest in peace, and hopefully, Jaerson’s daughter will grow up knowing that her father died a true hero. To find out more about this heartbreaking story, you can view the news report below.
