‘Hero' Grandfather Dies After Saving Twin Granddaughters from a Falling Tree Limb: 'He Sacrificed His Life'

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2 days ago

A grandfather is dead after he saved his twin granddaughters from a tree limb that almost fell on top of them in Georgia on May 28
Manuel Pinzon, 77, is being hailed as a "hero" and someone who "chose to protect"
The twin girls are now in counseling following the death of their grandpa, whom they had a close relationship withA Georgia grandfather is being hailed as a 'hero' after sacrificing himself to save his twin granddaughters.
Manuel Pinzon, 77, died on Wednesday, May 28, after pushing the two 8-year-old children, Isabella and Gabriela, out of the way when a tree limb almost fell on top of them, according to WANF-TV, WSB-TV and ABC News.
Jason Krause, the twins' father, said the incident happened at around 12 p.m. local time while his daughters were spending time at their grandfather's home in Dacula. He told the outlets the kids had been exploring the forest behind Pinzon's home when they found a baby deer.
As they returned to their grandfather with news of the sighting, Pinzon told them to eat lunch first before going back out to check if the deer needed any food or water.
The twins, Pinzon and his sister then went outside to check on the deer when the freak accident happened, according to WANF-TV.
'There was a very loud cracking sound, crashing,' Krause told WSB-TV. 'Cracking is kind of how they described it, and they got shoved out of the way."
"Then, when [the twins] turned back, [Pinzon] had gotten them out of the way and taken the full hit of a falling branch, a falling limb on his head, and he didn't make it," he added.
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The 20-foot branch had fallen from at least 60 feet in the air, and Pinzon "took the full brunt of that branch on his head," Krause told ABC News and WSB-TV.
He said that one of the twins called 911, while the other ran back into the house to get help. One of Pinzon's granddaughters also followed directions from first responders to put a rag behind their grandfather's head to keep it stable.
Emergency responders eventually arrived on the scene to transport Pinzon to the hospital. He died about four hours after the incident, per WSB-TV.
'He sacrificed his life to save my two twins from a tree,' Krause told WANF-TV. In a separate interview with WSB-TV, he added of Pinzon, 'He chose to protect his sister and these two girls instead of himself. And I don't think that should be forgotten. He was a hero."
Gabriela told WANF-TV that her grandpa died 'as a hero."
Krause told ABC News that his daughters would begin trauma counseling the following week to help them deal with the sudden loss of their grandfather, as 'having him gone like that was very traumatic."
He explained that Pinzon was "one of the biggest influences in their life,' and he picked them up from school twice a week.
The man's family told WANF-TV that Pinzon was someone who loved being outdoors and loved his family. He fled Colombia 30 years ago to seek out a better life for his wife and daughters in America, WSB-TV reported.
"He was a great person. I've known him for almost 18 years now, I wish I could be half the person he was. He was amazing," Krause told ABC News, adding that Pinzon would have turned 78 on June 8.
Pinzon leaves behind two daughters, five grandchildren and a wife of 50 years, per the outlet.
Read the original article on People