A father-of-three, Fernando Carlos, went on a fishing trip with his son, a 6-year-old boy named Noah. While at Mountain Creek Lake in Dallas, Texas, Noah fell into the lake. In an effort to save his son, Fernando jumped in. Unfortunately, both of them were swept away by the currents. Their bodies were later found by searchers.
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The tragic event took place on Saturday, October 5. According to KDFW, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman, Jason Evans, commented on the situation. "Reports indicated a child was swept under while fishing in a creek in the area," said Evans. "The boy's father jumped in to rescue him and was also swept under, and neither of them resurfaced."
Searchers found Fernando's body on Saturday and later suspended the search at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Noah's body was recovered after searchers restarted the search. "Around 2 p.m., the child's body was recovered after it washed up on shore near Mi Familia Park, located at 2402 Cardiff Street, in Grand Prairie," said Evans. "The Medical Examiner took custody of the body and will confirm identity."
A Brother's Burden
Jose Carlos, Fernando's brother, and Noah's uncle, was also there when both Fernando and Noah were swept away by the currents. "I was putting the minnows on a hook, and all I heard was a scream," recalls Jose. "Like any father, my brother jumped in there knowing he couldn't swim."
When Noah fell into the water and Fernando attempted to rescue him, Jose tried to rescue them both. However, the lake's currents took Fernando and Noah too far for him to reach them.
"I would trade places with him," said Jose, referring to his brother, Fernando. "We just want the world to know that my brother had a life. My brother was a good man," Jose said. He also talked about Noah, his nephew. "Noah was a great child," he said. "He was innocent. 6 years old. He hadn't even seen the world yet. He doesn't know what wrong is."
Reportedly, neither Fernando nor Noah were using life jackets when they fell into the lake. "That's something I feel so bad about. I told them, I told all three of them, 'Stay away from the water.' Accidents like this happen, but we should have been more prepared," said Jose. He warns others who may suffer from a similar event: "Make sure that you're prepared. Because we weren't prepared. Because of our inefficiencies, this happened."
Fernando and Noah Carlos's family has set up a GoFundMe campaign, as Fernando was the sole provider for his mother and his two girls, ages 5 and 9.
