A Missouri man drowned in a lake after diving into the water to rescue a five-year-old boy who had drifted without a life jacket, the 28th drowning incident in the state this year.

David Moore, 66, was trying to get several people onto a pontoon boat on Smithville Lake on Aug. 17 when his girlfriend’s young son and another person began drifting away, local reports said.

Moore dove into the water without a life jacket to rescue the two, but after helping them back to the boat, he was pulled away by the current.

Moore’s head was submerged under water three times before he disappeared.

“He was able to pull the boy back … but it just kept pulling Dave away and pushing him under the water. He couldn’t stay on top. There was an undercurrent,” family friend Hank Penland told WAGM.

“It’s just horrible, like a nightmare,” Moore’s sister, Teresa Petty, told the outlet.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol found Moore’s body.

The accident occurred near Crow’s Creek Cove, a campground about 25 miles north of Kansas City.

According to KCTV, Moore was the first drowning in Smithville Lake this year, but the 28th drowning in Missouri.

The MSHP is now urging people to wear life jackets while on the water.

“David spent his life helping others in any way he could,” said a GoFundMe campaign launched for his family. “David lost his life helping others and he wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way.”

According to an obituary, Moore leaves behind two siblings and numerous cousins.

His family remember him as an avid nature lover, motorcyclist and fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

He worked at Triumph Foods for more than 14 years, owned a contracting business for 30 years and enjoyed spending his free time with family and friends, WAGM reported.

They said he recently took a cruise to Alaska with childhood friends that was right on his “bucket list” and plans to do more hunting, fishing and boating after he retires next year.