Man who died saving daughter from ocean lauded as 'true hero'

The Whitefish man who drowned Tuesday after rescuing his daughter from the ocean off the coast of Maui will be remembered as a loving father who died a hero, his colleagues say.

Brian Lazorishak, 46, was in Hawaii on vacation with his family when the accident happened, said Jim Stack of Stack Financial Management in Whitefish, where Lazorishak was a senior portfolio manager. They were visiting the Olivine Pools — a remote lava tide-pool area in west Maui popular with tourists — when his 15-year-old daughter was swept off the rocky shelf by a rogue wave.

“She was swept off and Brian immediately jumped in after her,” Stack said.

Lazorishak was able to get his daughter over to a rocky drop-off where people on shore used towels to craft a makeshift rope.

“They tied towels together ... and she was finally able to grab hold of it,” Stack said. “They were able to drag her up.”

While witnesses were hauling his daughter to shore, Lazorishak became caught in a riptide that carried him back into the ocean. Stack said that while Lazorishak was a strong swimmer, he couldn’t overcome the tide.

Firefighters in a helicopter and lifeguards called to the scene found Lazorishak face down in the water and floating about 40 feet from the shoreline. He was airlifted and rescue personnel attempted lifesaving measures. He died at the scene.

The girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was released to family members at the scene.

Stack described Lazorishak’s actions as “truly heroic.”

“Every parent likes to think that they would jump into a situation and save their child. Brian gave his life as a hero and a father.

“But knowing him, his heart was so big, he would have jumped in to save anyone’s daughter. He was that kind of guy.”

Lazorishak moved from Charlottesville, Virginia to Whitefish with his wife, Christine, and two daughters about three years ago.

“He immediately fell in love with Montana,” Stack said.

Stack had recruited Lazorishak over the course of a four-month interview process. He previously worked in equity analysis and portfolio management for an independent investment advisor.

Stack said Lazorishak was considered a top mind in the industry. In addition to appearances on CNBC and the Nightly Business Report, he had been quoted in Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.

Lazorishak earned his degree in business and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jim Stack’s wife, Lisa, said employees at the tight-knit company were devastated by the news of Lazorishak’s death.

“We’re all very much a family — and we just lost a big part of our family,” she said.

“It’s amazing what he did,” added Jim. “[His daughter] wouldn’t have had a chance had he not gone in after her.”