Mom Drowns While Trying To Save Son In Trinity River
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A family trying to enjoy the cool waters of the Trinity River in Fort Worth is now devastated after a drowning on Wednesday night. The incident happened at Trinity Park, close to the intersection of Interstate-30 and University Drive.
The female drowning victim has been identified as 35-year-old Dania Martinez. According to witnesses, she jumped into the water to try and save her 8-year-old son, who had fallen in first.
A bystander pulled the boy out while another bystander and the woman's husband pulled Martinez from the river. She was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead there, shortly after 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
The child and the father were treated at the scene.
This is not the first time that drownings have occurred at this part of the Trinity River. CBS 11 News has reported on several incidents at low-water dams in the past. In April 2005, a 21-year-old man from Weatherford drowned after slipping on rocks. In October 2007, a 15-year-old drowned after losing his balance on rocks while taking pictures of ducks. And in October 2009, a young boy nearly drowned while trying to cross the river.
After a 2010 drowning, citizens asked for preventative measures. "It would be awesome if they had some kind of guardrails right there," said parent Thesha Liles, "to prevent little ones from falling over."
The Tarrant Regional Water District oversees 16 of these low-water dams, which slow the river flow. Last year, the water district said that it would look at the public's access to the dam areas. But since that time, no warning signs have been placed, and there is nothing to prevent people from climbing on nearby rocks.
