Maximillian Zelaya, 41, of Bend, who died after being swept over Dillon Falls in an inner tube Aug. 23, saved his friend’s life when the couple started getting swept away by the river’s current in a section of the river that appeared calm, Zelaya’s sister said.
According to initial reports by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Zelaya was floating on the Deschutes River above Dillon Falls with a companion when the river swept them away and toward the falls, where Zelaya later died. His body was discovered later that day.