A heartbreaking event took place on August 4 at Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, Tennessee, when a mother of three tragically drowned while attempting to help her 12-year-old daughter in the water. Amarilia “Lileana” Vamaca, a Spanish speaker, was unable to comprehend the warning signs posted around the lake due to a language barrier, her family said.
Vamaca’s husband, Martin Ambrosio, was swimming in a different area of the lake when the incident happened. By the time he reached his wife, she had already submerged. Ambrosio shared the devastating moment when he asked his daughter about his wife’s location, only to learn that she had already gone into the water.
Several onlookers quickly sprang into action to aid Vamaca, with some performing CPR until emergency medical services arrived. Despite their valiant efforts, Vamaca was rushed to the hospital and later removed from life support.
The family, who primarily speak Spanish, were unable to understand the warning signs around the lake due to the language barrier. Ambrosio expressed his sorrow over the incident, suggesting that bilingual signs indicating the dangerous parts of the lake could have potentially saved his wife’s life.
The loss of his wife of 15 years has been a crushing blow for Ambrosio. He remembered her as a jovial, friendly individual who was always full of smiles and laughter. The family has been relying on their faith to deal with the sudden loss.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Ambrosio has been advocating for bilingual signage to safeguard the Spanish-speaking community. He hopes that this incident will highlight the need for multilingual safety signs in public spaces.
A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to help cover the costs of transporting Vamaca’s body back to her native Guatemala. As of Tuesday morning, the campaign had raised over $6,000 of its $10,000 goal.