Man dies while trying to rescue mother and child from New Hampshire river

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This article was published 21/08/2023 (1112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ALBANY, N.H. (AP) — A Massachusetts man died over the weekend while rescuing relatives from a New Hampshire river in the second such death in the state less than a week, officials said.

A mother and a child became stuck around midday Sunday in a fast stretch of the Swift River in Albany, New Hampshire, the state Department of Public Safety said in a news release.

The father, Vincent Parr, 37, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, went in to help and also got caught in the current, investigators said.

The mother and child reached shore safely, but bystanders had to bring Parr to the riverbank. He was pronounced dead after lifesaving efforts at the scene.

Parr’s effort to rescue someone in trouble was typical of him, his mother, Becca Parr, said Monday.

“From the day he was born, he was so selfless,” she 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.”

Parr’s death remains under investigation, and the State Police Marine Patrol is asking witnesses to come forward, authorities said.

Melissa Bagley, 44, of Lynn, Massachusetts, drowned Tuesday while trying to rescue her 10-year-old son, who had fallen into a swift current while visiting Franconia Falls.

The deaths of Parr and Bagley occurred about 20 miles (32 kilometers) apart in the White Mountain National Forest.