‘Great dad’ who died saving 7-year-old son from drowning on Lake Perris was strong swimmer, wife says

Hadi Ahmadi was so fond of his son that he named his mechanical engineering business, Artin Hadi LLC, after the boy.

“He loved him so much,” Ahmadi’s wife, Mojgan Manafi, 48, said Monday, Dec. 8.

The 55-year-old father was credited with saving his 7-year-old boy’s life after their kayak capsized and the two spilled into the water on Saturday at the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. But Ahmadi lapsed into unconsciousness, and even though Artin kept his father afloat, Ahmadi died at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley after being pulled from the water.

Doctors believe he had a heart attack, Manafi said.

“He was a very good swimmer,” she said.

What’s more, Manafi added, her husband exercised frequently. He worked out at a gym three times each week.

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