Evan Patrick Ishima died attempting to rescue Tim Nguyen from drowning, Somerset, California, May 28, 2020. Nguyen, 20, while on a hike in a remote area, entered a river from boulders above a waterfall in the North Fork Cosumnes River and submerged in a shaft leading to an underwater chamber beneath the falls. Nguyen did not resurface. Ishima, 24, unemployed cabinet maker, who was hiking in another party and had stopped at the scene, alerted Nguyen’s friends. Ishima knelt down and extended his arm into the water toward Nguyen, then lowered his body feet-first into the shaft, bracing his arms on the boulders on either side of the shaft while his friend held onto him. Though some of Nguyen’s friends formed a human chain to hold onto Ishima’s friend, Ishima was shortly pulled down into the chamber by the rushing water. Nearby, a college student who was a friend of Nguyen was alerted. The student ran along the river then entered the water near the shaft, attempting to help Ishima and Nguyen. Shortly the student was also drawn into the chamber by the rushing water. Nguyen’s body was recovered a week later when it emerged from the chamber near the base of the waterfall. Family and friends, aided by underwater construction experts, recovered Ishima’s body 13 days later, and the student’s the following day. Both had drowned.
91144-10250Evan Patrick Ishima
Florin, CA