A mother drowned while trying to rescue her son from a fast-moving current at a popular waterfall in New Hampshire, authorities said, while another son who also jumped in to help was rescued by his father.
The 44-year-old victim from Lynn, Massachusetts, was visiting Franconia Falls in Lincoln with her family of five and a friend on Tuesday afternoon when the accident happened, the New Hampshire State Police said.
While at the Falls, the family’s 10-year-old son slipped and fell into one of the pools and could not escape the currents, prompting the boy’s mother to jump in to rescue him. She began having trouble sustaining herself, so two other brothers jumped into the water to help them. The family was able to rescue the 10 year old, but the boy’s mom and his 18-year-old brother became trapped in the rocks and the currents, police said.
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The 18-year-old was rescued from the water by his family and sustained injuries. However, the mother was located in the water below the falls and was found on one of the rocks. Despite resuscitation efforts by family members, she could not be revived.
“One of the minor children slipped and fell into one of the pools at the falls,” Sgt. Heidi Murphy, a Conservation Officer with New Hampshire Fish & Game, said in a news release, according to the Associated Press. “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.”
Murphy said in addition to the 18-year-old, one other sibling also jumped in during the rescue attempt, got stuck in the boulders and had to be pulled out by his father, as well. Both the siblings who jumped in the water were later taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Murphy said.
Meanwhile, the Everett Police Department in Massachusetts identified the victim as Melissa Bagley, wife of Lt. Sean Bagley, and requested everyone to give the family the time and space to mourn the passing.
Franconia Falls is a popular hiking destination and swimming hole in the White Mountain National Forest. People can slide off rock slabs into pools of water. Tuesday’s incident occurred on the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River in the White Mountain National Forest.
