Details Emerge About The Off-Duty Deputy Hero Who Died Saving Another

A Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy died Thursday afternoon in South Lake Tahoe after he jumped into the lake to help a friend who appeared to be drowning.

Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston sent condolences to the friends and family of Deputy Carlos Francies, 30, saying “Deputy Carlos Francies died doing what he was sworn to do: putting himself in harm’s way to protect the lives of others,” in a tweet sent out later that night.

At 2:48 p.m., police and firefighters responded to an area of El Dorado Beach for reports of a person who drowned and was being brought back to shore, according to police. Emergency personnel began life-saving measures on the victim, who was not breathing. The victim was then taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Francies was off-duty at the time and had been visiting the area with family and friends, according to police. Francies, his girlfriend, his sister and a male friend had rented paddleboards and kayaks at the beach. Francies and his girlfriend were on the paddleboards, while the two others were on kayaks, police said. Francies’ sister was the only one in the group wearing a life jacket.

The group had headed out over 100 yards off shore, at a water depth of about 15 feet. A high wind warning for the lake had been issued that day, with forecasts of winds gusting to 40 miles per hour. Francies and his girlfriend remained close together, while his sister and their friend were about 50 yards from them.

When Francies’ sister fell off her kayak, the male friend jumped into the water to help her and his own kayak began to drift away. After helping Francies’ sister, the man began swimming to retrieve his kayak. Because the male friend had swum while still holding his paddle, it appeared to Francies’ from a distance that his friend was in distress. In an effort to help what he thought was his friend drowning, Francies jumped into the water and began swimming toward his friend. About 20 feet from his paddleboard, Francies began to falter and struggled to stay afloat.

Previous: Contra Costa Co. Deputy Drowns at Lake Tahoe Trying to Save Swimmer

Francies called to his girlfriend, a registered nurse, who then tossed a life jacket toward Francies. Because of the strong winds, the life jacket fell far from Francies and his girlfriend then jumped into the water to attempt to retrieve the life jacket and bring it to Francies. When Francies’ girlfriend was able to get to him with the life jacket, Francies had already completely sank and lost consciousness. Good Samaritans arrived to help bring Francies to shallow water, and laid him on a paddleboard.

Francies’ girlfriend began performing CPR on him, as medical personnel arrived. In a statement, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said Francies “acted heroically in laying down his own life in his attempt to save another here in our city. We are deeply saddened at the loss of this brave public servant, and extend our deepest condolences to his family, to his agency and to his community.”

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office