A 37-year-old man drowned while trying to save his estranged wife and her teen son who got stuck in a fast-moving river.
Brave Vincent Parr – from Lawrence, in the US State of Massachusetts – has been hailed a hero after he lost his life while saving two others.
Parr was reportedly at the Swift River, in the city of Albany, with the wife he was separated from and her three children, on 20th August.
Police said he jumped into the river after the mother and her 19-year-old son from a previous marriage became stuck in an area with fast-moving water.
New Hampshire Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash on 21st August: “Initial investigation revealed that a family from Massachusetts was on the Passaconaway roadside of the Swift River, east of the Albany covered bridge.
“The mother and child became stuck in an area with fast moving water.
“The father attempted to rescue them and ultimately became caught in the current himself.
“The mother and child got to shore, and bystanders helped bring the victim to the shoreline where CPR was performed.
“He was ultimately pronounced deceased.”
His mother, Becky Parr, told local media she was not surprised that he died trying to rescue others.
Becky said: “He did not hesitate, he did not even have time, in my mind knowing my son the way I know him, to say ‘Oh my god, I could die if I do this.’
“It was like, ‘I can’t leave this and watch this, and be responsible to have this in my brain knowing that I stood at the shore and did nothing.’
“He knew he had to do what was right at the cost that he paid for it.
“And he didn’t care about the cost that he paid for it.
“I applaud him for that because personally I’m not sure there’s a lot of people out there we hear about being heroes.
“Those are a very special breed of people and not all of us are cut out to do that sort of thing.”
The investigation is ongoing.
