Boy rescued from gorge remains in critical condition as investigation into incident continues

Rick Pfeiffer L, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·3 min read
1

Feb. 15—NIAGARA FALLS — A 5-year-old boy, rescued after a 90-foot drop into the Niagara Gorge on Monday, was listed in critical condition Tuesday night after surgery at Oishei Childrens Hospital in Buffalo.

State Park Police said earlier in the day that the boy had undergone surgery for what had previously been described as a "serious head injury." Citing the boy's age and "an ongoing investigation" into the incident that led to his fall, Park Police did not identify him or provide any additional information about the boy's mother.

His mother died as a result of injuries she sustained after jumping over a railing into the gorge between Terrapin Point and the Cave of the Winds on Goat Island. The boy's father, who witnessed the fall, has been questioned by Park Police, along with other witnesses who were in the area at the time of the incident.

Investigators, on Tuesday, confirmed that the family was "not from the immediate area." The Gazette has learned that the family were tourists who had traveled to the Falls from India.

Park Police said their dispatchers received "multiple calls", at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, reporting that an "adult female and her child had fallen into the gorge. Falls firefighters and Park Police officers responded to the area and Park Police Capt. Chris Rola said the rescuers were able "to traverse more than 300 feet of icy terrain" across the side of the gorge wall to reach the woman and her son.

The area where the victims were found was described by rescuers as an overhang that jutted from the face of the gorge wall. Rescuers described the terrain where the victims were located as, "rocky, jagged and with a lot of ice."

After moving quickly to reach the victims, they were able to remove the child, while CPR was performed on his mother. The boy was determined to be "stable enough to be brought out and taken up on the elevator for the Cave of the Winds.

He was then transported by Mercy Flight to Children's Hospital.

The mother was later pronounced dead at the scene. Because of the difficult terrain where her body was located, a helicopter from the New York State Police Aviation Division was called in.

The helicopter descended into the gorge and was able to lift the body out in a basket. The woman's body was turned over to a Niagara County coroner, pending an autopsy.

"New York State Park Police would again like to thank all the responding agencies that assisted in yesterday's critical incident," Rola said on Tuesday. "Niagara Falls Fire Department firefighters and Park Police officers (for) providing life saving measures to both individuals, Mercy Flight for transporting the 5-year-old victim, New York State Police Aviation Unit with recovery of the female and New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation for their response and assistance with the investigation."

While Park Police have said that their investigation "remains ongoing", Rola said on Monday, they "don't believe (the incident) was an accident."

The Park Police captain said his agency wished "to extend (its) condolences to the (victim's) family during this tremendously difficult time." He said Niagara County Crisis Services was assisting the family.