Witnesses say 19-year-old Michael Hughes had been doing backflips into the San Marcos River Saturday afternoon when he hit his head, went underwater, and never resurfaced.
According to a statement released by the City of San Marcos on Monday, Hughes was "performing back flips and jumping into the water approximately 12 feet from the millrace dam at Stokes Park." According to the release, Hughes hit his head (it doesn't say on what) during one of the flips and disappeared underwater.
The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports that, after a brief search, park rangers found Hughes and pulled him from the water. According to the paper, the teenager was rushed to Central Texas Medical Center. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
San Marcos fire officials told the San Marcos Record that it wasn't the first time Hughes had jumped into the natural pool near Stokes Park — in fact, it appears Hughes frequently visited that part of the river.
Hughes and his friends had just arrived for an afternoon of swimming Saturday when he took the fatal jump, officials told the paper.