Teen who nearly drowned in Texas lake thanks friend who died trying to rescue her: Report

A 15-year-old girl who nearly drowned in a Texas lake has broken her silence on her recent near-death experience and expressed gratitude to her friend after he died trying to save her, according to a report.

Genesis Delgado and Lincer Lopez were among a church group that visited Lake Waxahachie on Saturday. The 21-year-old man drowned just an hour after his baptism after he attempted to rescue the "teenage female in distress," according to police.

The group was baptized in shallow water, but Genesis told local outlet WFAA she found herself in a deep area and tried to stay afloat but started drowning. She was eventually removed from the water by a boater, given CPR, and transported for medical treatment, local police said.

Lincer was also recovered from the water and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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'I hope I can see you again'

"I thank you, Lincer, for everything you tried to do, and I hope I can see you again soon. I believe I will," Genesis told WFAA, adding that she wants his family to know that "I'm so sorry for his loss, and I really did love him a lot."

The teen also expressed gratitude to the boater, identified as Jacob Bell, and expressed interest in meeting him.

Fundraiser created to help bring Lincer's body back to Mexico; family calls him a 'hero'

Lincer's family championed his efforts to save the teenage girl. According to WFAA, his uncle, Jacobo Lopez, said the 21-year-old worked as a construction worker to send money to his family in Mexico. He was the oldest of seven siblings.

"He was a hero. He didn’t think twice about rescuing someone else," Jacobo Lopez said, speaking to the news station in Spanish. "He didn’t think about the risk that he could die, and he did risk his life to save somebody else’s.”

The uncle also noted Lincer's excitement about his baptism to the point where he couldn't rest the night before the unexpected tragedy.

A GoFundMe was created for Lincer's family in an effort to raise money to transport his body to his hometown, Chiapas, Mexico. They have received more than $34,000 at the time of publication.

"Thank you for your support and expressions of affection towards his family GOD BLESS YOU!" the fundraiser said.

Boater calls for more safety precautions at lake; city responds

Bell, the boater who helped Genesis, pointed out the need for more safety resources at Lake Waxahachie to prevent similar incidents, NBCDFW reported.

He suggested resources like a park official or lifeguards that can "pull kids from the lake and resuscitate them." The city gave its condolences to Lincer's family but noted in response that they have signs for visitors and swimmers.

"There are currently signs written in English and Spanish prohibiting swimming in and around the boat dock and launch area, as well as buoys designating a no wake area," the city of Waxahachie said in a statement to NBCDFW.

It continued: "Also, a life jacket cabinet with free loaner life jackets are available to encourage individual water safety. As part of an ongoing recent improvement project to Boat Dock Park, buoys designating a swim only area that is free of boaters are scheduled to be installed in the near future."

Waxahachie is about 30 miles from Dallas.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.