Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAVA HOT SPRINGS, Idaho — An Idaho teen drowned Saturday after rescuing his girlfriend from a current that had pulled her underwater in the Portneuf River, officials confirmed.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office identified the 17-year-old as Marcos Gil, from Idaho.
On Saturday, Gil’s girlfriend, a Utah native, was swimming in the river when the current pulled her underwater and she couldn’t resurface. Gil then jumped into the river and pushed the girl to the surface, which saved her life, confirmed officials with the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.
Gil, however, did not survive.
The girl’s family has set up a GoFundMe account* to help raise funds for Gil’s funeral expenses. The page identifies Gil as “a true hero.”
“My daughter was saved but tragically, Marcos was pulled under by the strong current and did not survive,” the page reads. “Unfortunately, we cannot express our gratitude to Marcos so we have set up this page to financially help his family through this tragedy.”
As of Sunday night, the page had garnered $980.
The teenage girl is from Erda, Utah, but had recently been living with her father in Lava Hot Springs, the girl's grandfather said.
KSL's Idaho News Section
Looking for more news about the Gem State? Visit KSL's Idaho news section for more stories about Idaho politics, events, and features.*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article indicated KSL had spoken with the girl's grandmother. It has been corrected to reflect her grandfather as the source.
