HAYCOCK TOWNSHIP, PENNSLYVANIA: A GoFundMe that was launched for a man who lost his life while saving two children from drowning has received more than $34k out of its $45k target. Marvin Alexan Fernandez Chicas was at Lake Nockamixon last Thursday, June 29, when he jumped into the water to help the children. While the children survived the ordeal, Chicas didn't.
The 37-year-old man was with his three-year-old son Dylan and a few friends when the incident happened. Haycock Township Fire Chief Harry Grim said, as per WFMZ, “They [the children] apparently got in some trouble in the water, he went in to help them. Unfortunately, he can't swim. The kids got out, he did not.”
Grim then went on to explain how Chicas’ body was recovered as he stated, “We had about 10 divers. Multiple boats from Point Pleasant, Bucks County, Haycock Fire Company, the Palisades Regional, and stuff. The guys did a great job. It took about two hours until we found the body.”
Who was Marvin Alexan Fernandez Chicas?
Chicas' family described him as someone who "liked fishing." The GoFundMe shared that on the day of the accident, he was “doing what he liked together with some friends and son, unfortunately, he died drowned in the lake giving his life for two children who were also about to drown along with him he became a hero for everyone.”
The campaign also stated that he is now survived by his wife and child. “The extra money we can donate would be to help in part with the upbringing of little Dylan,” it continued, before noting that the fund will be used “to cover the expenses to send his body back home and that his mother who is in Honduras can say goodbye to him. In addition, we need to raise money to help his family with the expenses that this terrible situation causes.”
Besides, the GoFundMe called Chicas “a very hardworking man, an excellent father” as it added, “All money collected will go to the hands of the wife and siblings to cover all the funeral expenses and be able to send her [sic] body to Honduras.”
‘It shouldn't happen’
Meanwhile, Grim expressed his frustration toward people who do not follow instructions. He stated, “Unfortunately, people don't follow the rules, and the sad reality is it's not a smooth, gradual slope under the water, and they step off into a deep area, they take a gulp of water, and they die unfortunately. It shouldn't happen, but it does.”
The Fire Chief added, “Don't swim in Lake Nockamixon. It's zero visibility this time of year. Divers at 10 feet cannot see their own hands in front of their faces. So the chances of us finding them and being able to retrieve them and have them recover are pretty much slim to none.”
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