“They were only children”: the little girl in turn succumbs to her fall in the ice

The 11-year-old girl who had been fighting for her life since Saturday, after falling into the ice in a New York State park while trying to rescue her 12-year-old friend, would have succumbed to her injuries in turn.

“Our worst fears have come true […] The second student […] involved in Saturday’s crash died from injuries sustained while trying to save her classmate,” the Albany City School District announced in a statement Tuesday.

As of Saturday, the 11-year-old girl, whose identity has not been released by authorities, remained in critical condition after falling through the thin ice of the lake in Washington Square Park, New York, in rushing to the rescue of his friend who had just fallen into the freezing water around 4:35 p.m.

If the young girl was quickly fished out by emergency services and transported to a hospital center, her 12-year-old friend was only found several hours later by an underwater recovery team, and her death was confirmed. observed the same day.

“They were just kids. They were just playing. They obviously thought the lake was frozen,” Acting Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox said, according to WNYT.

For the mayor of the city of Albany, Kathy Sheehan, it was surprising that the two young people had gone so far on the body of water “given the thinness of the ice,” reported the local media.

“It reminds us how fragile life can be and how important it is to make sure our children know […] that venturing out on the ice is not a safe thing,” she said on Monday.

This tragedy reminds us that we must be particularly vigilant near a body of water, because, even if ponds, lakes or streams appear frozen and solid, this does not mean that they can support the weight of ‘a person.

Especially since “sudden exposure to very cold water” can result in “your body going into shock,” said Donnie Long, a Warren County sheriff’s officer trained in water rescues. cold, at WNYT.

“You can have a heart injury very quickly. Obviously, the length of time you are exposed in the water decreases your chances of survival,” he continued.