Father drowns while saving 6-year-old son from Lake Worth spillway, fire official says
A father drowned Saturday in the process of saving his 6-year-old son from a spillway of Lake Worth, located in a remote part of northwest Fort Worth, according to fire department spokesman Kyle Clay.
Firefighters pulled Saul Ortiz, 28, from the wide body of water that resembles a river.
Ortiz lived in Justin, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office reported.
Clay did not immediately have an update on what happened to the child after authorities arrived.
The fire department was dispatched to a drowning call in the 6200 block of Hatchery Road near Marion Sansom Park around 12:30 p.m., Clay said. It was difficult to find the spot, he said, and firefighters had to walk about a half-mile from their vehicles to get there.
An investigation revealed the child went into the water, for unknown reasons, he said. The father leapt in and was able to safely get him out of the water.
But “then he didn’t make it himself,” Clay said.
“That’s the worst possible result I think, aside from both of them going down,” he said.
Clay said it is unclear what they were doing out there. The area, he said, attracts people who like to hike or swim.
The River Oaks Fire Department, which assisted the Fort Worth department on Saturday, has responded to emergencies in this area before, Clay said.
Firefighters are investigating what happened leading up to the father drowning, he said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 2:15 PM.
