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A New York man courageously pushed his fiancée to safety before apparently drowning in a kayaking incident at a Washington State national park just two days after their engagement, according to family.
Travis Valenti, 37, of Massapequa, disappeared around 2:10 p.m. Friday on Lake Crescent near the Log Cabin Resort at Olympic National Park after his kayak began taking on water, forcing him to swim in the frigid water, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement.
Valenti was taking a trip with his fiancée, Marlene, whom he had proposed to just two days earlier, his brother, Austin, told News 12 Long Island.
"It started out as the best trip of their lives and took just a tragic turn that nobody could really see coming," Austin Valenti said.
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Valenti's kayak began taking on water on Lake Crescent at Olympic National Park in Washington state on Friday. Valenti's fiancée made it safely to shore, but Valenti struggled and has not been seen since. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
After Valenti abandoned his sinking kayak, his fiancée paddled over to help, according to NPS. Her kayak, however, overturned during the attempted rescue, sending her into the cold water. Neither was wearing a life jacket, according to officials.
While Marlene was able to swim safely to shore, Valenti struggled. Valenti’s family revealed his heroic final actions before he presumably drowned.
Officials said the waters of Lake Crescent are "very cold" this time of year, and that sudden immersion would over time impact a person's breathing and ability to move their extremities. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"Travis gave [Marlene] the extra little push that she needed to get safe, and they still haven’t found him since Friday at 2 or 3 p.m.," Austin Valenti told the outlet.
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Log Cabin Resort staff responded with a motorized vessel but were unable to find Valenti, officials said. The area where Valenti was last seen is estimated to be more than a quarter mile offshore and roughly 400 to 500 feet deep.
Bystanders on the shore and Valenti’s fiancée helped rangers and rescue personnel identify where Valenti had been last seen. But after more than two hours of searching rescuers found no sign of the missing man. Searchers were also unable to find him during a second search on Saturday.
Parks officials described Lake Crescent as "a deep and very cold body of water" that has surface water temperatures near 50 degrees Fahrenheit around this time of year.
"Sudden immersion into cold water will impact a person’s breathing and over time, their ability to move extremities," officials said, advising swimmers to use the buddy system, and boaters to wear life jackets.
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