NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – It was the first time Martin Ambrosio and his family went to Percy Priest Lake.
His wife Amarilia, whom Martin calls Liliana, found out about it through social media. The family chose the Seven Points recreation area, not knowing that this would be the last time they would be together as a family.
(TRANSLATED) “My daughter Odalis jumped and called for help, but she started drowning,” Martin said.
According to witnesses, Amarilia’s daughter had difficulty swimming and she rushed to her aid. Her daughter was rescued, but Amarilia slipped and drowned.
(TRANSLATED) “Thank God, people helped and went into the lake,” Martin said. “Seven or eight people went in and didn’t find her. They got out and said there was nothing there, then I told them, ‘No, she’s still in the water.'”
Martin says it took several minutes for passersby to find her. Eventually they found her and the passersby performed CPR until emergency responders arrived.
Although the dangers of Percy Priest are well documented and there are signs warning of the dangers, Martin and his family were unaware of this as the signs are only in English.
(TRANSLATED) “There is no ‘Caution’ sign or a ‘No Entry’ sign,” Martin said.
WSMV4 has raised this issue with the Metro Council and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Both groups say they will now work on installing multilingual signage for the area – a move that unfortunately came too late for Martin’s family, who now have to get through life without a wife, mother and girlfriend.
(TRANSLATED) “Liliana was a great woman to me,” Martin said. “I want to ask for help from every heart, every Latin American heart that can help me bring her body home.”
Martin thanked the first responders, bystanders and everyone who tried to save his wife’s life or who offered their help.
Amarilia leaves behind her husband and three children.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to return Amarilia’s body to Guatemala.
All rights reserved.
