Douglas County authorities have identified the man who drowned trying to save two children at Two Rivers State Recreation Area Saturday. Emergency crews were called to the park for a water rescue shortly after noon.
The initial call details stated one juvenile was still in the water and CPR was being performed on 41 year old Joshua Williams of Sarpy County. When deputies arrived they found one juvenile out of the water and another hanging onto some branches in the water. They found 41 year old Joshua Williams of Sarpy County in the water and a witness attempting to perform CPR on him.
Deputies and the witness pulled Williams out of the water and up the embankment where they performed CPR and used the AED. Another citizen on an airboat was flagged down by other witnesses and pulled the child out of the water. Paramedics arrived and took over CPR on Williams. Despite all lifesaving efforts, he was declared dead at the scene. The two children were both transported to the hospital for observation.
The preliminary investigation reveals that the two children were attempting to walk out to a sandbar after they saw other people there. They did not know that the people on the sandbar gout there by airboat. The children were walking out when the water got deeper. Williams then went out to help the juveniles in an attempt to pull them to the shore.
He was able to hold both children up while bobbing under the water. They were able to reach some logs in the river where one child stayed and the other made it to shore. Authorities say Williams ended up drowning as he was trying to assist the other child to the shore. The sheriff's department says extreme caution should be used in and around all bodies of water in Douglas County as the water levels still appears to be higher than normal as a result of the 2019 spring flood.