An Idaho family of three’s outing to the banks of the Pend Oreille River turned into a nightmare. Little did they know it would be their last time together and the outing would lead to death. On Tuesday, August 1, the mother - Kathy Grasser and her two boys Isaac and Michael – 17 and 11, respectively, - were swimming in the river. They were swimming without any life vests on as they did not suspect the river was very deep. However, things took a turn for the worst for the Grasser family.
What happened to the two boys?
Panic struck when her elder son Isaac started struggling to stay afloat.
The mother jumped into the water to save him, but Kathy started going down because of his struggles. She went ashore and started shouting for help. People who nearby came to their rescue to help save the teen, The Spokesman Review reported
Teen is rescued
After the teen was rescued, the Idaho mum noticed that 11-year-old Michael was missing. She realized that as she called for help the younger son entered the water to rescue his brother. Unfortunately, the child struggled to stay afloat and drowned while trying to save his brother.
The older son Isaacs was given CPR by the medical experts who reached the location along with the police. He was then taken to the hospital and was reported to be in a critical condition.
The Bonner County Police came along with a dive team to look for the 11-year-old boy. They found his body in the river where the water was at 6 to 7 feet deep.
The mother is devastated by her loss and she told the Bonner County Sheriff’s office that both the boys were initially wearing vests in the water, but took them off later not realizing how deep the river was.
Experts say that rescuing a drowning person can be dangerous as they tend to push their rescuer under water as they struggle to come up for air. As this can result in the rescuer drowning, rescue should not be attempted by untrained swimmers.
The Idaho police revealed that both the Grasser boys were inexperienced swimmers. Isaac - who was airlifted to the hospital - passed away on August 4, according to an update on their GoFundMe Page which was set up for the Grasser family.
Those keen on pledging support to the family to help them tide over the expenses can head to the page Grasserboys and do so. Several people have come forward to pledge their support for the Grasser family and donated generously. People also offered their condolences.
