CrossFit trainer drowns with his father in Puerto Rico after the family was trapped in the current
An Arizona CrossFit trainer drowned along with his father after he dived to save his wife from a current while spraying his grandfather’s ashes into the ocean.
Damian Walker, 33, was described by his family as a “hero” who gave “the ultimate sacrifice” after saving the life of his wife Salmeh in Puerto Rico on March 3.
The coach and his family were at sea spreading the ashes when Damian saw Salmeh being swept away by the current. Without hesitation, he jumped in to rescue her from her, but ended up being caught in the tide.
His father, Luis ‘Lou’ Walker, went in to save his son but ended up drowning as well. His body has not yet been recovered. It is not clear how Salmeh got out of the ocean and survived.
He would be proud of how things turned out. He always wanted to be a superhero and in the end, that’s how it ended,” said Skip Divelbiss, co-owner of Wildfire CrossFit. KPHO.
Damian Walker, 33 (right), died along with his father, Lou (left) in Puerto Rico on March 3. The two got caught in a rip current. Lou’s body has yet to be recovered.
Damian Walker (right) was trying to save his wife Salmeh (left) when she drowned. She had been caught in the current when Walker’s family was spreading her grandfather’s ashes into the ocean.
Heartbroken, Salmeh took to her husband’s Instagram to announce his death last week.
‘My heart and soul, my loving husband has left this earth. My better half, I love you and miss you so much,” he wrote.
A photo of the two on a beach during sunset was attached. It is not clear where and when the photo was taken or if it was one of the couple during the trip to Puerto Rico.
Damian and Salmeh shared three dogs: Dombalu, Hershey and Yoda, who will “always miss their daddy,” their obituary says. He was known to bring stray dogs home with him.
Dorothy Lamoureux, his mother, recalled his smile, selflessness and love of exercise that led him to earn a degree in exercise science and work at Wildfire CrossFit.
“Damian’s love and passion for life was so evident in every photo someone took of him,” she wrote in her obituary. ‘Damian always had a smile on his face, he always gave everything to others and always put others first.
“Damian worked very hard on his body and wanted to be as healthy as possible. He was very proud of his body and he deserved it,” he continued.
Heartbroken, Salmeh took to her husband’s Instagram to announce his death last week. Damian worked at Wildfire CrossFit gym in Arizona
Damien (left) was described by his family as a “hero” who gave “the ultimate sacrifice” by saving his wife Salmeh (right)
Damian and Salmeh shared three dogs: Dombalu, Hershey and Yoda, who “will forever miss their daddy,” their obituary says.
Damian was a trainer at the Wildfire gym for 10 years and was known to have a ‘hero mentality’.
He was everyone’s hero. He had a way of making everyone he met feel special,” Tiffany Divelbiss, co-owner of the gym, wrote in a post. GoFundMe.
Tiffany remembered Damian’s big heart and his love for the world, especially animals.
“I would save every animal on the planet if I could,” he wrote. She left this life as she lived it. All in and sacrificing himself for someone else.
The CrossFit gym is celebrating its ‘hero’ on what would have been his 34th birthday on April 4.
As of Tuesday night, more than $29,000 had been raised to support his funeral expenses and his grieving family.
Damian was a trainer at the Wildfire gym for 10 years and was known to have a “hero mentality”.
The CrossFit gym is celebrating its ‘hero’ on what would have been his 34th birthday on April 4. Pictured: Wildfire Gym
Lou’s grieving family asked the public for support as the search for her body continues.
Meanwhile, Lou’s body has not been recovered nearly four weeks after she plunged into the ocean to save her son. Without his body, the family cannot be issued a death certificate and he is still considered a missing person.
Lou’s grieving family asked the public for support as the search for her body continues.
“They were unable to locate my father’s body and the case has not been closed, therefore we have not been issued a death certificate,” Kassondra Walker, Lou’s daughter, wrote in a separate document. GoFundMe page.
“Because of this, we can’t close and move things from my father’s name.”
Kassondra said her mother and sisters are financially overwhelmed trying to cover the bills that remain open in Lou’s name.
“I understand that everyone is dealing with their own life as well, but my family will be forever grateful for anything you can share during this time,” she wrote.
About $800 had been raised as of Tuesday night.