Sheriff’s deputy drowned while trying to rescue friend in Lake Tahoe

Struggling against winds up to 40 miles per hour, an off-duty California sheriff’s deputy died trying to save a friend in deep water during an outing on Lake Tahoe, authorities said Friday.

Deputy Carlos Francies, 30, was visiting Lake Tahoe Thursday with his girlfriend, his sister and a male friend.

Deputy Carlos Francies died when he jumped into deep lake water to save the other person.

As this was happening, Francies’ friend made it safely to his kayak, but his sister fell into the lake while the group was concentrating on rescuing Deputy Francies.

After helping Francies’ sister back aboard her kayak, the man began swimming to retrieve his own kayak. Their friend near to her jumped off his own kayak to assist her. While doing so, their friend kept hold of his paddle, as his own kayak drifted some distance away.

“Deputy Carlos Francies acted heroically in laying down his own life in his attempt to save another here in our city”, South Lake Tahoe Police Department stated.

His girlfriend reached him with a life jacket, but he had lost consciousness.

As she swam toward him with a life jacket, Francies sank below the water, authorities said.

Bystanders helped get Francies onto a paddle board, where his girlfriend, a registered nurse, began CPR. No one else was injured.

Police say Deputy Francies and his girlfriend, his sister and another male friend were using paddles and kayaks near the beach.

The names of the companions were not released.

A team from the county sheriff’s office was heading to Lake Tahoe on Thursday night to gather information, Lee said. Francies was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Francies was with the Contra Costa Country Sheriff Department for three years.

“Law Enforcement, sometimes we get bad press”, Welch said, “but 99 percent of all law enforcement will do anything for anybody at any time. He had several close friends in the department and they’re hurting right now”. Francies coached youth football.