Man drowns rescuing nephew whose kayak overturned, PA wife says. ‘Worst day of my life’

A 31-year-old father drowned in a Pennsylvania lake rescuing his nephew, whose kayak overturned, according to his wife and news reports.

Maria Munoz said in a GoFundMe that family and friends were vacationing together at Emerald Lakes in the Poconos, and her husband, Miguel Lopez, decided on Thanksgiving to take several children kayaking.

One of the children’s kayaks overturned, and Lopez jumped in the water without a life jacket to save the child and attempt to turn the kayak upright, police told the Pocono Record. The boy, who Munoz said is their nephew, swam back to shore, but Lopez could not stay above water.

“It was like his body was paralyzed and he sunk,” she told WPVI.

Lopez’s body was found later in the day, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, WNEP reported, citing police.

Munoz said the holiday celebration “quickly turned into the worst day of my life.”

“He left this earth saving a life,” Munoz, who has a 12-year-old daughter with Lopez, said in a GoFundMe. “He left this earth a fighter. He left this earth a warrior.”

Lopez, of Philadelphia, “was a devoted family man,” according to an obituary.

“Whether it was an insightful thought or fixing a problem, Miguel was always there for those who needed him,” the obituary said. “He was a man of few words, but his sarcastic personality could always make you laugh.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 8:06 AM with the headline "Man drowns rescuing nephew whose kayak overturned, PA wife says. ‘Worst day of my life’."