A tragic incident unfolded at the popular Franconia Falls in New Hampshire on Tuesday, when a mother lost her life attempting to rescue her young son from a pool at the waterfall, as confirmed by local authorities.
The father, in a parallel act of heroism, managed to save another son who was ensnared between boulders.
The family of five was reportedly visiting the falls around 1:00 p.m. and was preparing for a swim when one of the children slipped and fell into a pool. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division, in a press release on Wednesday, stated, He could not get out of the pool as it was a fast, circulating current. The mother jumped into the river to help her child and began to immediately have trouble.
The father and the other two children also plunged into the water. While they successfully rescued the brother, one of them ended up trapped between boulders. The father discovered the mother unresponsive on a rock and promptly initiated CPR, but she was unable to be revived, the press release revealed. The father then managed to free the trapped son and returned to his wife's location to await assistance.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department officers reportedly received text messages about the trapped son and the drowning mother. However, a lack of cell phone coverage at the falls hindered them from verifying the incident.
Emergency personnel, while en route, encountered the hiker who had sent the initial reports and obtained further details about the incident and the victims' location. Upon reaching the falls, the crews discovered two individuals with non-life-threatening injuries and the deceased mother. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital, while the mother's body was transferred to a funeral home.
The mother, a 44-year-old Massachusetts resident, remains unnamed. Amber Lagace, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire State Police, stated that an investigation is ongoing and that alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in the incident.
Despite its popularity, Franconia Falls poses a risk to visitors, with the potential for slipping off rock slabs into the pools beneath the falls.
Login