Pinoy honored five years after he died saving two children in California
A Filipino who saved two young kids who fell into a frozen lake – at the cost of his own life – was honored five years after the tragic incident on Christmas day in Wrightwood, California.
According to a report of the Asian Journal, Claro Claridad's family was presented a memorial bench which will be placed near the highway with a nature trail leading to Jackson lake, where he saved the children.
A monument is also being planned to be put up at the Jackson lake.
Memorials were also held for Claridad in Victorville City where his family resides.
Claro’s wife Judith said she felt very honored and happy that five years after her husband's death, "people still remember his story.”
In 2007, Claridad, then 41, was enjoying Christmas day with his wife and four daughters at the Jackson lake in Wrightwood.
Suddenly, Claridad saw two girls, unrelated to them, fall into the freezing lake.
A US Army veteran, Claridad didn't think twice and jumped into the lake to save the children.
He managed to pull the children out but he was unable to get himself out of the freezing lake and suffered hypothermia.
Rescuers took Claridad to the Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville but he was pronounced dead after a few hours.
His daughters, all Girl Scouts, wrote the book: “Meet Our Dad, Our Hero.”
To this date, the identities of the two children saved by Claro is still a mystery.
The incident brought up the need for ice rescue training for the locals of Wrightwood. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
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