A 27-year-old dad is being hailed as a hero after he was killed in the Texas floods while trying to save his family.
Julian Ryan and his fiancée Christinia Wilson were at their Ingram home on July 4 when the water in the nearby Guadalupe River started to rise rapidly, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.
"It just started pouring in," Wilson recounted to the local news outlet, "and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in."
Wilson said the water was up to their knees within 20 minutes, prompting her and Ryan to retreat to the house's back room with their kids and his mom. When they realized that police would not be able to come in time, Ryan punched out a window to allow the family to escape.
"It severed his artery in his arm," Wilson recalled, "and almost cut it clean off."
Wilson said she and her mother-in-law were able to make it out with the kids, but it was too late for Ryan, who she said told her in his final message: "I'm sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all."
According to Wilson, rescuers were not able to reach Ryan's body for hours until the water receded.
And for Wilson's own mother, her son-in-law made what she described as the "ultimate sacrifice to save what was most important to him: his family."
"He was not just their hero, but mine," Pamela Baker told People in a statement published July 7. "He was a great guy in so many ways. He brought out the best version of my daughter. He loved her and their babies with all of him."
She continued, "He was an upbeat, optimistic person. He was always there when we needed him."
Likewise, Ryan's brother Joseph Rounsley believes he died as a "true hero."
"Julian gave his life for his family," he wrote in a GoFundMe. "While his family is eternally grateful for his sacrifice, they are shattered by their loss. Julian was a beloved son, father, fiancé, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend to so many, and his sudden departure has left an unfillable void in all our lives."
Rounsley added, "No one is ever prepared for such a loss, especially one that comes so suddenly."
For more people speaking out about the Texas floods, read on.
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