Family’s Heartbreaking Last Words of Brave Texas Dad Who Sacrificed to Save His Family in Floods

2024-10-04 09:49:06

The family of a
Texas
father who died while rescuing his loved ones from sudden flash flooding in Texas shared his final, heartbreaking words: ‘I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all.’

Julian Ryan, 27, died early Friday morning, July 4, after fast-moving floodwaters from the Guadalupe River – which
surged over 30 feet above its normal height
– swept into his family’s home in Ingram.

The flooding, triggered by heavy rains overnight, left little time for families along the river to react.

Ryan’s fiancée, Christinia Wilson, said the water surged into their home so quickly that it reached knee-level in just 20 minutes.

‘[Water] just started pouring in, we had to fight the door to get it closed tried to hold the door closed, just so that too much didn’t come in,’ she told
KHOU.

‘We ran back into the room and we started calling 911 but it just kept coming. We had no choice but to get out.’

In a final act of heroism, Ryan punched through a window to help his fiancée, their children and his mother escape to the roof.

But, the glass tore through his arm, severing an artery and nearly detaching the limb.

‘It almost cut it clean off,’ Wilson said of her loved one’s catastrophic injury.

Despite the severe injury, Ryan stayed focused on getting his family out safely. But with emergency responders unable to reach them in time, the father of two succumbed to his wounds hours later.

‘About six o’clock my husband was dead. He had lost all of it… all of his blood,’ she said.

Holding back tears, Wilson recalled her fiancé’s harrowing final moments.

‘He looked at me, the kids, and his mother and said, "I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all,"’ she said, adding that Ryan’s body was recovered later that morning after the water receded.

Loved ones say Ryan’s bravery and selflessness will never be forgotten.

‘He died a hero,’ his sister, Connie Salas, said. ‘That will never go unnoticed.’

The heroic father’s family is now mourning the loss of a man they describe as kind, funny and fiercely devoted to those he loved.

‘He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met in my life,’ close friend Kris Roberts said. ‘I’ll forever love him no matter what.’

As they grieve, Ryan’s relatives are also calling for changes in flood preparedness. They believe earlier warnings – like flood sirens – could have saved lives.

‘If we’d heard a siren, we would’ve left,’ Wilson said. ‘We had so many safe places to go.’

A
GoFundMe
page has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses and recover from the loss. In a statement posted to the fundraiser, Ryan’s relatives said his death has left ‘an unfillable void.’

‘Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero,’ the family wrote. ‘While we are eternally grateful for his sacrifice, we are shattered by our loss. His sudden departure has left an unfillable void in all our lives.

‘He was known to have an infectious laugh and unwavering kindness. He touched countless lives with his humor and will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,’ the fundraising page reads.

As of Saturday afternoon, the death toll has risen to 50, with 27 children from a summer camp situated along the river – Camp Mystic – still missing, according to
CNN.

Earlier today, harrowing images emerged showing the remains of the leveled summer camp where at least three campers lost their lives after it was deluged by deadly flood waters.

Inside, sodden beds and blankets of the campers can be seen covered in a thick sludge and belongings such as bags and clothing are also seen strewn across the floor.

Another build saw its roof sag over the ruined building as pieces of jagged wood splintered underneath it.

At least three campers were killed when the unprecedented current slammed the camp as the girls slept.

Dozens more people, including other campers, are still missing.

Renee Smajstrla, eight, Janie Hunt, nine, and Sarah Marsh all perished when the camp was washed away by the flood waters.

Search and rescue efforts remain the top priority in central Texas, according to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, as crews continue to search for the missing along the Guadalupe River.

‘We’re really focused on life safety,’ Rice said. ‘Our primary focus is on the search and rescue of every single person involved, and we’ll continue through the night to make sure that happens.’

He noted that recovery operations were also underway Saturday, with authorities working to identify victims.

‘We knew today was going to be that day, so our numbers are going to constantly be changing,’ he said.

‘We’re in a marathon,’ Rice added. ‘And we’ve got to make sure we always keep that in mind – and look after each other.’

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