Grandfather sacrifices his life to save twin granddaughters from a fallen tree limb

Manuel Pinzon, a 77-year-old outdoorsman, father, and grandfather is now being described as a "hero through and through" after sacrificing his life to save his twin granddaughters from a fallen tree limb, his son-in-law told ABC News.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when Pinzon's 8-year-old twin granddaughters were spending time at his home in Dacula, Georgia, according to Pinzon's son-in-law, Jason Krause.

The granddaughters, Isa and Gabi, were exploring the one acre of forest behind the yard of Pinzon's home when they discovered a baby deer, Krause said. The twins ran back to tell Pinzon about the deer, to which he said they should eat lunch and then return back to the deer to see if it was hurt or needed water, Krause said.

At approximately 12 p.m., Pinzon, the twins and Pinzon's sister returned outside to check on the deer when the girls heard a "loud, crashing sound above them," Krause said.

"As soon as they heard that sound, they got pushed really hard from the side by him to the ground," Krause told ABC News.

When they turned back to their grandfather, the girls saw him "laying on the ground [and] that he had gotten hit by this big tree limb," which Krause estimates weighs around 65 to 75 pounds.

The limb, which fell from at least 60 feet in the air, struck Pinzon and he "took the full brunt of that branch on his head," Krause said.

Pinzon began to bleed out of his head and his nose, with one of the twins calling 911 and the other rushing inside the home to get their grandmother, Krause said. One of the granddaughters followed the instructions of the 911 operator to put a rag on the back of Pinzon's head and attempt to keep his head stable, but he continued to bleed and cough up blood, Krause said.

Once Krause and his wife, Andrea Pinzon Krause, were alerted to the incident, she headed to the hospital to be with her father, and Krause went to the house to be with his daughters.

When he arrived at the home, Krause said the twins were "covered in blood and were in shock."

Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Pinzon succumbed to his injuries and died on Wednesday afternoon, Krause said.

Krause said his daughters are beginning trauma counseling next week, since Pinzon -- who used to pick them up twice a week from school -- was "one of the biggest influences in their life and having him gone like that was very traumatic."

"At 4:30 [p.m.] on Wednesday, which is about 30 minutes after he passed, one of my daughters had texted him and said, 'You died for me,'" Krause said. "He marked everyone that came in contact with him. Everybody loved Manuel."

Pinzon leaves behind two daughters, five grandchildren and his wife of 50 years. He was about to turn 78 years old on June 8, Krause said.

"He was a great person. I've known him for almost 18 years now, I wish I could be half the person he was. He was amazing," Krause said.