Woman Dies Trying to Help Girl Who Slipped Over Waterfall's Edge

A woman who was hiking with four teenagers at a popular southern California trail died when trying to help one of the teens last week. Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, was with "family and family friends" at the Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County on Thursday morning, according to a press release. A teen girl, described in the press release as a family friend, slipped while the group was hiking along a ledge within the middle pool of the falls, CNN reports. Crocker reached out to help the girl, but both lost their footing and fell over the edge of the waterfall, landing in the bottom pool.

Witnesses attempted CPR, but Crocker died at the scene after emergency responders could not resuscitate her. Her cause of death was found to be multiple blunt force injuries and drowning. The girl was airlifted to a hospital with severe injuries. She was in stable condition, however, and expected to survive, the Times of San Diego reports. "The sheriff’s department does respond to multiple injuries and rescues in that area every year,” San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Lt. Jeff Ford says of the waterfall area, described as a challenging hike. (More California stories.)