Mother drowns trying to save son at waterfall and father rescues another son trapped by boulders

LINCOLN, N.H. — A mother drowned trying to rescue her young son who was being pulled by the current at a popular waterfall and another son who jumped in to help became lodged in boulders and was rescued by his father, authorities said.

The mother was part of a Massachusetts family of five visiting Franconia Falls in Lincoln along with a friend on Tuesday afternoon, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said.

“One of the minor children slipped and fell into one of the pools at the falls,” Sgt. Heidi Murphy said in a news 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.”

Two other children jumped into the water to help their brother and mother.

“They were able to get their brother out of the water, but in doing so, another brother became lodged in the boulders and could not escape,” Murphy said.

At the same time, the father was trying to find the mother. He eventually found her on a rock and immediately began CPR, but she was unable to be revived, Murphy said.

The father then made it over to his son’s location and was able to pull him to safety.

Murphy said two people with non-life-threatening injuries were taken to a hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

The names of the mother and her family were not immediately released.

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.