The coroner’s office Tuesday identified a San Bernardino father and his 7-year-old son, who were pulled from the Whitewater River on Labor Day.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Carroll said that after David Martinez-Garcia leapt into the water to try and save his son, David, both “father and child were overwhelmed by the strong flow of water and were swept down the river.”
Both victims were found “about a mile down river,” Carroll said.
Fire rescue crews, Riverside County sheriff’s officials, Palm Springs police and the California Highway Patrol responded around 1:15 p.m. Monday to the Whitewater Canyon area, north of Palm Springs, and pronounced the 41-year-old father dead at the scene.
The boy was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he was pronounced dead around 3 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.
All other parties present at the river were accounted for, sheriff’s officials said.
The sheriff’s department warned that people are not allowed into the river and “persons entering the riverbed are subject to citation and possible fines. The flow of the water may look appealing, but is extremely dangerous.”