FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A family is in mourning but also thankful to be alive after a dramatic water rescue in Fort Lauderdale.
Relatives said that rescue came at a cost.
Jacinto Lopez remembered his nephew, Domingo, as a hard worker and a good kid who came to the US from Guatemala just three years ago in search of a better life.
Lopez and his brother, Augusteen, along with Domingo, were pulled from the water just off Fort Lauderdale Beach after getting caught in a rip current. Domingo died in the hospital a few days later.
“There was a lot of wind but we just wanted to stay close to shore,” remembered Lopez.
After working several days straight, Lopez said the trio along with his girlfriend finally had some time off, so they decided to enjoy the day, beginning at Zoo Miami in the morning.
The brothers and nephew ended the day at Fort Lauderdale Beach, a quick drive from their home in a Hollywood.
The lifeguards had just left but the three men decided to go for a swim anyway.
A rip current took Jacinto out to sea.
He said his brother and his nephew tried to rescue him but got caught in that current too.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m going to die here. This is the end of my days,’” said Lopez.
He described how his brother tried to lift him up in the water to breathe. He said he was gasping for air and quickly losing his energy. Augusteen and Domingo were struggling to stay afloat.
Fort Lauderdale police, BSO and lifeguards quickly mobilized and swarmed the area after receiving a call from shore of swimmers in distress.
Domingo, at that point, was found unconscious in the water. Crews were able to get his pulse back but he died several days later at Broward Health Medical Center, where crews rushed him for treatment.
Lopez said he’s still grateful to those first responders, knowing all three men would have certainly drowned without them.
He said he’s planning a funeral and in contact with family in Guatemala.
He remembered his nephew as a hero who tried to save his life in the first place.