Dad recalls the panicked final call he received from son before he died while kayaking on lake
Taryn Zinszer was 29 when he made a distressed phone call to his father
Britt Jones
A dad of a kayaker who died has recalled the heartbreaking final phone call his son made to him.
Taryn Zinszer, 29, called his father during his final moments to issue a sad message before dying in one of his favourite spots.
On March 15, he took his gear to the Lewisville Lake in Northern Texas where he is said to have frequented.
However, it all went wrong shortly before 11pm.
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Now, Taryn’s dad, Troy has spoken to local news reporters to reveal the message his son gave to him before he died.
He explained that his son shared that he was ‘in the middle of the lake’ and he was ‘floating towards the toll bridge’ before he sadly passed away.
Taryn’s body was later found in the lake by his family and the Lewisville Fire Department, and it was revealed that he had been wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.
Troy said Taryn’s last words to him were: “I’m in the middle of the lake and I don’t think I can make it."
The dad said: “He goes, 'I’m floating towards the toll bridge, but I don’t think I’m going to make it.’ He says, ‘Dad, I’m so sorry,’ and then the phone went dead.
"I've always been able to rescue him."
Taryn’s cause of death is still pending, but it was reported that he sadly died at 10.54pm.
It is believed that Taryn got into trouble whilst in the lake and that his kayak may have capsized due to the strong winds.
After his death, Troy and Taryn’s mother, Pam revisited their son’s favorite path, and recalled how he had been kayaking two weeks prior to his death.
Pam said: “He was just chilling.
"I’m sure he probably saw the sunset right before. The water was a little choppy that night and it was getting dark.”
Troy added: "My boy is dead. I just love him so much, and I miss him so much. He loved this lake."
Taryn is the second kayaker to die on a Northern Texas in March, as an 18-year-old boy drowned at Benbrook Lake after his kayak capsized.
Luke Nickens’ body was recovered on March 19 after having been unable to return to his upturned kayak the day before.
The two other people on the kayak managed to swim to shore, but sadly, Luke is reported to have gone under the water and did not resurface.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Nickens’ death was an accident.
Andrew McAuley, an Australian mountaineer and sea kayaker, also tragically lost his life after sending out a distress call during a journey in the water.
It is said that Andrew had his heart set on becoming the first solo kayaker to travel the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand, traveling some 1,000 miles.
However, his attempt to complete the Tasman Sea in 2007 ended in tragedy after his empty kayak was found just miles from land.