A woman lost her life while attempting to assist a teenager who had slipped at the popular Three Sisters Falls hiking trail in Southern California.
The unfortunate event unfolded in the unincorporated area of Descanso, within the Cleveland National Forest, on Thursday morning, June 8. The hiker was identified as 48-year-old Sarah Louise Crocker. She was part of a group that included four teenagers, who the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office referred to as “family and family friends.”
As the group hiked near the middle pool of the falls, a teenager in the group stumbled, leading Crocker to try to help. In a tragic turn of events, Crocker lost her own balance, resulting in both individuals falling over the waterfall and landing in the pool beneath, where they sustained grave injuries.
Despite immediate efforts by bystanders to save her, Crocker couldn’t be resuscitated and was declared dead at the site. The medical examiner identified her cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries coupled with drowning, and classified it as an accident. The teenager, suffering serious injuries, was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Three Sisters Falls, located in eastern San Diego County, is known for its difficulty and features three large waterfalls bordered by rugged mountains. According to Lieutenant Jeff Ford, the spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, while injuries and rescue missions are quite common in the area, deaths are infrequent. Most incidents occur during the summer, primarily due to heat exhaustion or minor injuries.