Daniel L. Diaz died helping to save a boy from drowning, Rowena, Oregon, July 4, 2009. A 12-year-old boy was attempting to swim across a 300-foot-wide inlet along the Columbia River at a state park when he became fatigued and called out for help at a point about halfway across. In another party at the scene, Diaz, 33, mechanic, was on a dock that extended into the inlet. He entered the water from the dock and swam about 125 feet out to the boy. Diaz spoke to the boy, and he and the boy started to swim to the dock. After they had swum about 100 feet, Diaz experienced difficulty and called for help. Others at the scene responded to aid him, but he submerged. The boy swam to the dock on his own and exited the water to safety. Rescue divers found Diaz about two hours later. He had drowned.
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