Photo: GoFundMe
A Texas father of two died after nearly cutting his arm "clean off" while punching through a window to save his family from the catastrophic flooding that quickly filled their home.
Julian Ryan, 27, his fiancée Christinia Wilson, their 6-year-old and 13-month-old children and his mother were all trapped in a bedroom of their trailer home when waters of the Guadalupe River surged at around 4:00 a.m. local time on Friday (July 4), according to the New York Times.
“It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in,” Wilson told KHOU.
The flood waters burst open the bedroom door as the two children were already perched on a floating mattress, at which point Ryan decided to punch a hole in the bedroom window to help his family escape but severing an artery in his arm and nearly cutting the limb "clean off" in the process.
Wilson told KHOU that she repeatedly called 911 but no one was able to get to her fiancé in time.
“I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all,” Ryan told his family while bleeding to death in the flooded bedroom.
The rest of the family was able to flee the trailer safely, according to the New York Times. A GoFundMe was launched to "help alleviate the unforeseen financial burdens that come with such a sudden tragedy."
The total death toll in the floods was reported to have risen to 51, which includes 28 adults and 15 children in Kerr County. Five missing Christian girls summer campers were among the rising death toll.
The campers, who were identified as Renee Smajstrla, 8; Sarah Marsh, 8; Janie Hunt, 9; Lila Bonner, 9, and Eloise Peck, 8; were among the Camp Mystic attendees who went missing as 22 others still remain unaccounted for, according to the New York Post.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the storm an "extraordinarily catastrophe" and confirmed that rescue missions for the missing Christian camp girls would continue overnight during a press conference Friday (July 4) night.
“They will continue in the darkness of night, they will be taking place when the sun rises in the morning. They will be non-stop,” Abbott said.
The all-girls sleep-away camp was evacuated overnight during the storms, however, several of the campers were reportedly left behind. Some of the girls were reportedly located and are stranded, however, dozens remain unaccounted for.
“That does not mean they’ve been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We’re praying for all those missing to be found alive,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick specified on Friday via the New York Post.
Staffers sent an email to families informing them of the incident and confirmed that the camp had lost power, water and WiFi during the incident.
“If you have not been personally contacted, then your daughter is accounted for,” the email, which was obtained by KSAT, stated. “We are working with search and rescue currently. The highway has washed away so we are struggling to get more help.”
Camp Mystic said the missing children varied in ages between 7 and 17.