Dina Stephanie Espinosa, Bay Area woman dies after being swept to her death at Lake Tahoe after losing her balance taking a selfie.
A California mother has died after slipping into a Lake Tahoe waterfall and being swept away by the fast-moving current, authorities said.
Bay Area woman, Dina Stephanie Espinosa, 35, was sitting in a pool of water near Eagle Falls, Emerald Bay on Friday when she tumbled in while reaching for a branch, the El Dorado County Sheriff said.
A search-and-rescue diving team recovered Espinosa’s body, according to the Bay Area News Group.
Her exact cause of death was not immediately clear.
Conflicting reports have told of Dina Espinosa falling into the pool of water after losing her footing while taking a selfie.
The successful entrepreneur was a mother of three and ‘a mother figure’ to her five siblings, according to a GoFundMe page for her family.
‘She was the core of her family, the eldest sister, the strong, centered one that would always bring people together,’ the page reads.
Dina Espinosa sibling: ‘She was trying to enjoy the moment…’
One of Espinosa’s siblings, Nick Martinez, said his sister didn’t have her phone on her at the time of the incident.
‘She was trying to enjoy the moment which is something she was a big advocate of,‘ he told CBS 13.
‘When I go back to my furthest memory in life, it’s with her,’ he added. ‘She is my older sister but has been more of a mother to me.’
The North Tahoe Fire Protection District on Sunday warned visitors to be cautious.
‘Every year, there are deaths on our waterways and in our back country. Our message is to help visitors understand the dangers inherent to our beautiful region, and especially after this record winter, our creeks, rivers, waterfalls and lake carry many dangers that visitors need to be aware of,’ the post read.