Woman Drowns Trying to Save 2 Boys Swept Into River

A woman drowned shortly after dawn Saturday at Yosemite National Park when she attempted to save two boys swept into the roiling waters of the Merced River after an auto accident, park officials said. The boys were missing and presumed dead.

Park spokeswoman Kris Fister said the boys--ages 3 and 5--and the woman, who was the boys’ great-aunt, were among five members of a Southern California family trapped on top of a car that tumbled into the river after skidding off an adjacent park road when the great-aunt fell asleep at the wheel.

“The back of the car was lodged on a tree trunk in the river and the nose was in the current,” said Bill Perry, 44, of Arlington, Va., who ran to the riverbank when passersby shouted for help.

“The car was about 20 feet from shore,” he said. “The back window was broken out. I shouted for them to stay calm and (told them) I would try to get help.”

Passersby arrived moments later with a rope, which they threw to the three children and two women atop the car, Fister said. With the boys’ 7-year-old sister clutching the rope and the boys clinging to her, the rescuers began pulling the rope back to shore.

The boys lost their grip and disappeared into the icy, fast-moving water, Fister said. The 44-year-old great-aunt jumped in after them.

“There are big, boiling caldrons that can hold you down; a lot of snags,” said John Dill, head of the park’s search-and-rescue team. “You get bashed against the rocks. Cold water saps your strength, even if you are a good swimmer.”

The rescuers were able to pull the girl and her 62-year-old grandmother to safety. Both were treated at Yosemite Medical Clinic for mild hypothermia and released.

Fister said park rangers searching downstream saw the great-aunt and pulled her to shore, but efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at the clinic.

The identities of those involved in the accident were not released pending notification of next of kin.