A heartbreaking tragedy occurred at the Niagara Falls State Park earlier this week, leaving a mother dead and her 5-year-old son in critical condition. According to New York State Parks Police Captain Chris Rola, the woman and her child fell approximately 90 feet into the gorge near the Cave of the Winds.
Rola reported that life-saving measures were administered to both the mother and her son. The boy was stable enough to be transported to an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital with a head injury. Unfortunately, the mother did not survive the fall.
The woman and her son had been with her husband at the park before the incident. Rola stated police were not aware of what transpired before the duo fell, but they were interviewing the husband and other witnesses who were in the park at the time.
Rola further detailed the incident, noting that the terrain was difficult to navigate and that the State Park Police, Niagara Falls Fire, and New York State Police all worked together to provide life-saving care. He also mentioned that the icy conditions at the bottom of the gorge made the rescue difficult.
The names of the woman and her son have not yet been released due to the age of the boy and ongoing investigation. The family involved, police added, is not from the Niagara Falls State Park area