‘God said it was time,’ mom says after man drowns while saving son at Fort Worth park
As he tended to his 4-year-old son during a family hike, Saul Ortiz Jr. briefly turned away from his 8-year-old son, who was standing on the banks of the West Fork of the Trinity River at Marion Sansom Park.
Within seconds, the 8-year-old slipped and fell into the water on the morning of June 13.
Margarita Ortiz, Saul Ortiz’s mother, screamed that the little boy was drowning in the river.
Immediately, Saul Ortiz pulled off his backpack and jumped in to save his son while other family members screamed for help from nearby park visitors.
“He (Saul Ortiz Jr.) managed to grab him and threw him to me, but he was still in the water,” Margarita Ortiz said Wednesday morning as the family stood on the bank of that river. “I ran into the water, got (my grandson) and got him out of the water, but by the time I turned around my son was gone.”
It would take almost two hours before emergency crews found the body of 28-year-old Saul Ortiz Jr., of Justin, who became another victim of drownings in Texas this summer.
His parents, Margarita and Saul Ortiz Sr., and his sisters talked to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Wednesday for the first time about the accident, recalling the courage it took for Saul Ortiz Jr., a novice swimmer, to jump into the river to save his son. The family asked that the name of the child not be used.
Family members also spoke of the fatal incident in the hope that city officials would place warning signs in the park to prevent any further tragedies. They said the water is deeper than it appears, with a strong current.
“He was a healthy guy who went to the gym all the time,” said Saul Jr.’s sister, Nathali Ortiz. “He didn’t know how deep it was because there were no signs to warn people.”
Fort Worth officials are aware of the incident.
“The drowning at Marion Sansom Park was a tragic accident,” said David Creek, acting director of Fort Worth’s park and recreation department, in a Thursday email. “The Park & Recreation Department is currently reviewing this incident and will evaluate needed action.”
In May and June, MedStar paramedics have responded to four calls in the park area, according to MedStar statistics. In addition to Ortiz’s death, a woman drowned and three others have been injured. Two of the injured were taken to local hospitals, according to MedStar officials.
On Wednesday morning, Margarita and Saul Ortiz Sr. and other family members returned for the first time to the banks of the river where just days earlier their son was swept underwater and died.
A native of Mexico, Saul Ortiz Sr. moved his family to North Texas almost 20 years ago and sent his children to Northwest High School.
Saul Ortiz Jr. grew up loving the rivers and trails of Mexico, so it was no wonder that he brought his passion to North Texas.
“He loved areas like this because he grew up in a country like this,” Saul Ortiz Sr. said Wednesday as he walked to the banks of the West Fork of the Trinity River and pointed to the hiking trails at Marion Sansom Park.
For years, Saul Ortiz Jr. hiked the trails of Texas and traveled the state’s streams and rivers on a kayak or canoe.
On the morning of June 13, he had planned to go with his two children to Marion Sansom Park in west Fort Worth, but he convinced his mother and 16-year-old sister to tag along.
“I had never been to the park, but I decided I didn’t want him to go by himself with his kids,” Margarita Ortiz said.
Using her cellphone, Margarita Ortiz took video of the park and river, which she said looked very quiet and peaceful.
“He was just playing near the river when he slipped and fell,” said 16-year-old Ruby Ortiz, referring to her nephew.
Margarita Ortiz also saw it and yelled at her son.
“He jumped in, grabbed his son and threw him toward the river bank,” Margarita said. “I had been yelling for help and I went into the water.”
Other park visitors who heard the cries of help rushed over and began trying to help Saul Ortiz Jr. by pulling down a branch from a nearby tree for the Justin man to grab.
But it was too late.
Meanwhile, Margarita Ortiz managed to get her grandson to the river bank.
“It happened in a matter of seconds,” the mother said. “By the time I turned around to try and grab my son, he was gone.”
Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Kyle Clay said firefighters had to walk about a half-mile from their vehicles to get to the accident scene, which is on a spillway of Lake Worth and difficult to find. Firefighters initially said they thought Ortiz’s son was 6 years old.
In Texas as of Tuesday, at least 38 children under the age of 17 have drowned so far this year, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Saul Ortiz Jr. prevented his son from being one of those statistics.
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
