CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — A mother and her 1-year-old son died in a drowning Saturday night in Caldwell County, officials said.
Rescue crews and local EMS officials responded to the area of Brown Mountain Beach Road at the Wilson Creek Gorge around 6:30 p.m. Saturday for a drowning.
N.C. Wildlife officials arrived at the scene to find three victims in the water.
Chelsea Jackson, her 1-year-old son, Oliver, her husband, and another child were walking on the rocks near Wilson Creek Gorge, a spokesperson for Collettsville Fire and Rescue said.
The mother and Oliver fell in and the husband went in to help.
Jackson and Oliver were unconscious when rescuers pulled three of them from the water.
The two died despite resuscitation efforts.
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“Words can not express our sorrow for the pain [Jackson’s family is] experiencing with this,” Richburg Fire-Rescue said in a statement posted on Facebook Sunday.
Many of the staff at the Richburg Fire-Rescue knew Jackson, who was an EMT at Piedmont EMS.
“It’s devastating,” said Chief T. Melton, Richburg Fire-Rescue. “It’s not something you expect. You know it can happen. You know, things can happen on the job. You don’t really think about what can happen on vacation.”
Jackson’s fellow first responders often saw her at the scene of emergencies.
“It’s not just that somebody had that tragedy, it’s somebody I knew of who had that tragedy,” said Capt. Rickie Worrall, Richburg Fire-Rescue.
Emergency responders in the area said they were thinking about her husband and her family members.
“I hope they can find peace and figure out how they can move forward because he still has a child to raise and has to do it on his own,” Melton said.
Departments posted their condolences on social media following the deaths.
“She always had a smile and a kind word for everyone she met,” the York Fire Department stated in a Facebook post.
The post included a link to a Meal Train and fundraiser for the family.
RELATED STORY: Wilson Creek Gorge reopening has Caldwell County health officials worried
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The post included a link to a Meal Train and fundraiser for the family.
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