A man died trying to rescue his wife and her son from the Swift River in New Hampshire in the fourth drowning death in the state in less than a week, the state police said.
The deceased, identified as Vincent Parr, 37, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was on the Passaconaway roadside of the Swift River with his family on Sunday when his wife and her child became stuck in an area with fast-moving water. Parr attempted to rescue them and was caught in the current himself, said the New Hampshire State Police.
The mother and child were able to get to the shore safely, and bystanders helped bring Parr to the riverbank, where CPR was performed. However, he could not make it and was pronounced deceased, said authorities.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing and state authorities have requested witnesses to step forward with additional details.
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‘Typical of him’
Parr’s attempt to rescue someone in trouble was typical of him, his mother, Becca Parr, told the Associated Press.
“From the day he was born, he was so selfless,” Becca said. “I know he didn’t think for a moment, ‘I could die,’ he just did what he could. He was a loving soul, kind-hearted and never put himself first.”
Becca later told CBS Boston said Vincent was at the river with the woman, who he was married to but had since separated from, and her three children. The report also said that Vincent jumped into the water to save his wife and her 19-year-old son from a previous marriage.
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GoFundMe page
A GoFundMe page set up to “bring awareness and show support for our late hero Vincent Parr.”
The GoFundMe described Vincent as a “family man,” with a “pure heart of gold”.
“He treated others how he wanted to be treated and would go out of his way to make someone smile, even if it made him look silly,” read the page. “He NEVER missed a holiday, birthday, or even a casual family get-together. He was the glue that held strong and always kept positive and logical no matter what situation was thrown at him or the rest of his family.”
The page’s organizers said that the fund was set up to ease the financial burden on the family during this difficult time and “give Vincent the peace and proper service/burial that he deserves”.
Vincent’s memorial service is expected to take place on Aug. 30, as per the GoFundMe page and $16,305 of $20,000 had been raised by Tuesday afternoon.
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Fourth death in a week
Parr’s death marked the fourth drowning in New Hampshire in a week.
On Aug. 15, a mother drowned while trying to rescue her 10-year-old son from a fast-moving current at the Franconia Falls in New Hampshire, about 20 miles west of Swift River in the White Mountain National Forest.
On Friday, a man died while fishing from a canoe with his fiancée in the Crane Neck Pond in Canterbury. Authorities said that initial investigations revealed that the couple’s canoe capsized and the man went underwater to turn it over but did not resurface. His fiancée was able to locate him and pulled him to the shore where life-saving efforts were made to resuscitate him but he could not survive.
On Monday, a 76-year-old man, identified as Alan Morrison of Hollis, NH was found in the water in a case of possible drowning, along the shoreline of his residence by his neighbors, who immediately alerted authorities. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and an autopsy of the deceased has been scheduled for Tuesday, the results of which are awaiting. The accident occurred on Franklin Pierce Lake in Hillsborough, said the New Hampshire State Police.
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