This happened just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
SAN ANTONIO — A man drowned Wednesday morning while trying to swim across Woodlawn Lake, according to police.
The incident happened shortly after 9 a.m. at the lake on Cincinnati Avenue, northwest of downtown San Antonio.
Witnesses said the man jumped into the lake and began swimming but soon showed signs of distress.
A woman and another man were able to pull him from the water and began CPR. That woman, Katrina Mijares, said she was on her morning walk when she saw a group of people pointing toward the lake.
“They were frantic, saying, ‘He’s drowning,’ and someone shouted, ‘He just stopped flaring.’ I just got an adrenaline rush,” Mijares said.
She jumped into the lake and swam toward the man, but eventually began to struggle herself and called out for help.
“I was praying too, and I asked the Lord, ‘Please get me to shore,’” she said.
That’s when the second bystander jumped in and helped bring them both back to land. Another witness captured the moment police arrived on scene. Mijares said she was yelling for officers to begin CPR.
“I’m kind of puzzled. I’m also an EMT, so in my head, he just went unresponsive—we still need to try and save this man,” she said.
Moments later, another bystander—who also happened to be an EMT—ran over and started chest compressions.
Paramedics transported the man to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, which makes me sad,” Mijares said. “But I feel really happy and honored to have been able to give him a little more of a chance.”
It’s still unclear why the man entered the lake, but Mijares said the reason didn’t matter—she was determined to try and save him. She had this message for his family:
“It’s affecting me, but I did what I could—what my brain allowed me to do at the time,” she said. “I’m sorry if it wasn’t enough. But I do pray, and I do hope your family comes together, loves each other, and can get through this experience together.”
The man’s identity has not yet been released.