30-Year-Old Man Died After Becoming Trapped While Cleaning City's Water Tank: ‘The Sweetest Soul’

Co-workers told authorities that they "believed" Carlos Medina "entered into a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength" while inside the tank

<p>GoFundMe</p> Carlos Medina

GoFundMe

Carlos Medina
  • Carlos Medina, 30, died after he became trapped while cleaning a water tank in Wisconsin on Saturday, the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said

  • By the time law enforcement arrived, Medina was under around 6 feet of water, motionless and was later pronounced dead, authorities said

  • "Everything he gave in this lifetime was out of his generous heart," Medina's sister said in a GoFundMe post

A Texas man died on Saturday after he became trapped while cleaning the inside of a Wisconsin water tank, authorities said.

The Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that dispatch received a report of a man identified as Carlos Medina, 30, of El Paso, who was stuck inside the City of Blair's water tank and needed to be rescued.

Authorities said Medina was in scuba gear and a wet suit, cleaning sediment inside the tank with a 90-foot suction tube for about 45 minutes.

Medina "reportedly told his co-workers he was getting cold but continued to work," the sherriff's office said. "Co-workers believed the subject shortly thereafter possibly entered into a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength."

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The co-workers were unable to get Medina out of the tank because he was tangled in the suction tube. According to the authorities, Medina was under about 6 feet of water and motionless by the time law enforcement arrived.

"First responders and law enforcement, with the assistance of the two other workers, were eventually able to pull the subject out of the tank," the sheriff's office said. "Lifesaving measures were performed, but were unsuccessful."

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Medina's sister, Citlali, started a GoFundMe fundraiser for her brother's death, writing that she was "completely devastated."

"He was truly a wonderful person, someone you never knew you needed until you had him," she wrote. "He was someone only one could dream of having in their lifetime. He was a selfless and compassionate soul in this world that didn’t deserve him."

Citlali noted that Carlos was also a father and a veteran who served a "full-term in the U.S. Army."

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"He had an impact on so many people, and ALL say he was the sweetest soul on this earth," she said.

She added, "Everything he gave in this lifetime was out of his generous heart and never expecting anything in return, and I hope it can be given back to him in this way."

More than $5,000 has been raised as of Thursday morning.

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