A Minnesota father drowned while saving his 3-year-old son, who had fallen into a lake on a fishing expedition, authorities said. 

Christoper Schultz plunged into the body of water Saturday after his boy slipped through bridge railings about 8:30 p.m. at Dead Shot Bay in Minnesota, according to the Becker County Sheriff's Office. 

"The little boy was leaning over the railing when he saw a fish and went over," Sheriff Todd Glander told InsideEdition.com Monday. "The dad went in after him."

The dad was "struggling right away," Glander said. "The father was able to keep the child above the water," until a bystander grabbed the toddler from his dad's upraised hands. The child was then taken to shore.

Schultz, 31, never resurfaced, authorities said. 

Deputies and emergency personnel searched the area with help from a local fisherman. A diving team found the father about 40 minutes later and rushed him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The child was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is physically fine, Glander said. 

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