Carlos Medina: 'Selfless' man found dead under 6 feet of water after getting trapped while cleaning a water tank in Wisconsin

BLAIR, WISCONSIN: A Texas man tragically lost his life after he got trapped while cleaning the inner part of a water tank in Wisconsin, authorities have said. In a news release, the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said that dispatch received a report of a man identified as Carlos Medina, 30, of El Paso, who was stuck inside the City of Blair's water tank and needed to be rescued. 

Authorities said Medina was in scuba gear and a wet suit, cleaning sediment inside the tank with a 90-foot suction tube for about 45 minutes, WAFB reports. 

Carlos Medina continued working despite getting cold

Medina "reportedly told his co-workers he was getting cold but continued to work," the sheriff's office said, adding "Co-workers believed the subject shortly thereafter possibly entered into a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength."

As he got tangled in the suction tube, the co-workers failed to get Medina out of the tank. According to the authorities, Medina was under about six feet of water and motionless by the time law enforcement arrived. 

"First responders and law enforcement, with the assistance of the two other workers, were eventually able to pull the subject out of the tank," the sheriff's office said, adding "Lifesaving measures were performed, but were unsuccessful."

A GoFundMe has been set up after Carlos Medina's death

Medina's sister, Citlali, started a GoFundMe fundraiser after her brother's death, writing that she was "completely devastated."

"He was truly a wonderful person, someone you never knew you needed until you had him," she wrote, adding "He was someone only one could dream of having in their lifetime. He was a selfless and compassionate soul in this world that didn’t deserve him." "He gave selflessly, he helped at homeless shelters and gave to the less unfortunate in any way," Medina's sister added.

Citlali noted that Carlos was also a father and a veteran who served a "full-term in the US Army." "He had an impact on so many people, and ALL say he was the sweetest soul on this earth," she said.

She added, "Everything he gave in this lifetime was out of his generous heart and never expecting anything in return, and I hope it can be given back to him in this way. He left us and his 12 dogs, that he adored, because the company didn’t provide him the safest environment."

More than $5,000 has been raised as of Thursday morning, March 28.