Ben Wood, a Brookfield-born Instagram beer influencer, died on March 9 in Algarrobo, Chile, after rushing into the ocean to try to save a woman who was being swept out to sea. His father, Norman Wood, 77, and the influencer’s partner, Maria Jose Duarte, also died in the incident.
Incident and rescue efforts
According to published reports, the group — Norman Wood of Bridgewater, his son Ben Wood, and Ben’s partner Maria Jose Duarte — were walking along a beach in the central Chilean coastal city of Algarrobo on Monday, March 9, when they saw a 26-year-old woman being swept out to sea.
They rushed into the surf to help. Powerful Pacific Ocean currents pulled multiple people into deeper water. Duarte was pulled from the water alive but died shortly after at a hospital. Patricia del Pilar Bello Labe, the woman they were attempting to save, also died. Bello Labe’s partner survived after a Chilean Navy rescue helicopter pulled him from the water; the same crew retrieved the bodies of Norman and Ben Wood.
Biography and career
Ben Wood was a popular beer influencer on Instagram with more than 37,000 followers. He was born in Brookfield, raised in Danbury and had lived in Chile for more than a decade. Norman Wood, 77, had flown to Chile to visit his son.
Tributes
Ben Wood’s daughter posted a tribute on his Instagram Stories. It read: “March 9th will be for you and to remember how you gave your lives for others, as you did so many times before. I love you to the moon and back.”
The family and community responses have been shared on social media, and published reports have noted the involvement of the Chilean Navy in the rescue and recovery effort.
Image credit: Ben Wood/Instagram (as published in source reports)
Image Referance: https://www.aol.com/articles/brookfield-born-influencer-dad-among-183030490.html