Calif. Woman Dies Trying to Keep Teen Who 'Slipped' from Going Over Waterfall Ledge
The 48-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the teenager was airlifted to a local hospital with “severe but non-life-threatening injuries"
Courtesy of Cleveland National Forest
A woman died and a teenager was severely injured while hiking in California last week, according to officials.
Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, was at Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest with a group of four teenagers on Thursday morning when "one of the teens slipped" along the ledge of one of the falls, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a statement.
"The woman supervising the teenagers attempted to keep the girl from going over the ledge," police said.
However, in the process she fell after “losing her footing," according to a statement from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner said that both Crocker and the teen, identified as a family friend, "went over the edge of the waterfall and landed in the bottom-mot pool of water."
Related: 36-Year-Old Woman Dies Trying to Hike Section of Grand Canyon and Back in 1 Day
As a result, "both the woman and girl fell and suffered severe injuries," according to the Sheriff's Office.
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“Several people witnessed the accident and attempted to render medical aid," police said in a statement. Despite life-saving efforts, Crocker was pronounced dead at the scene, while the teenager, who has not been publicly identified, was airlifted to a local hospital with “severe but non-life-threatening injuries."
Crocker died of “multiple blunt force injuries” and “drowning," according to the medical examiner.
Courtesy of Cleveland National Forest
The hiking accident was reported on June 8Related: 10 Dead, 25 Injured After Bus Carrying Wedding Guests in Australian Wine Region Rolls Over
Authorities told CNN that Three Sisters Falls is a popular hiking destination that’s “often crowded.”
“The sheriff’s department does respond to multiple injuries and rescues in that area every year,” San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Lt. Jeff Ford said in a statement to CNN, adding that “fatalities are a rare occurrence.”
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