A mother drowned Tuesday while trying to save her young son from one of the pools at a popular New Hampshire waterfall, according to authorities. The father reportedly saved another son who was trapped between boulders.
The affected family of five was visiting Franconia Falls at about 1:00 p.m. and was preparing to swim when one of the children slipped and fell into a pool at the falls, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday in a press release. “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 press release noted.
The other two children and their father reportedly got into the water and while the children were able to save their brother, one of them got trapped between the boulders. The father found the mother unresponsive on a rock and immediately began CPR but “she was unable to be revived,” according to the press release. The father reportedly then made it over to the trapped son, succeeded in pulling him to safety. He then returned to his wife’s location to wait for help. (RELATED: Father Drowns After Saving His 3 Children)
NEWS RELEASE: BODY RECOVERED AT FRANCONIA FALLS
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at approximately 3:56 p.m., #NHSP #MarinePatrol received a call for a person trapped/medical emergency at Franconia Falls.
➡️https://t.co/pRuVXLR6oo pic.twitter.com/oXTVq6zUfb
— New Hampshire State Police (@NH_StatePolice) August 16, 2023
The NH Fish and Game Department officers reportedly had gotten SMS about the trapped son and the drowning mother, but “a lack of cell phone coverage” at the falls prevented them from confirming the event. Emergency personnel making their way up the trail reportedly encountered the hiker who made the initial reports and received additional information about the incident and the victims’ location from the hiker. Upon arrival at the falls, the crews found two persons with non-life-threatening injuries and the deceased mother. The injured were taken to an area hospital while the deceased mother’s body was handed over to a funeral home.
The unnamed Massachusetts mother was 44, said New Hampshire State Police spokesperson Amber -Lagace, adding that an investigation is underway and alcohol and drugs did not seem to be involved.
Although Franconia Falls is a popular hike, people are at risk of slipping off slabs of rock into pools beneath the falls.