![Fast-moving currents of the Swift River in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, where Lawrence Parr drowned on August 20, 2023. [Screenshot/WMUR News 9]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-22-153212-e1692733927423.jpg "Fast-moving currents of the Swift River in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, where Lawrence Parr drowned on August 20, 2023. [Screenshot/WMUR News 9]")
A Massachusetts man drowned early Sunday afternoon while trying to rescue his wife and son from a fast-flowing river in New Hampshire, state police said.
The family was “on the Passaconaway roadside of the Swift River, east of the Albany covered bridge” when the accident occurred, according to a New Hampshire State Police (NHSP) news release. “The mother and child became stuck in an area with fast moving water. The father attempted to rescue them and ultimately became caught in the current himself.”
While the mother and son reportedly made it to the bank, the man was brought ashore by bystanders and received CPR but could not be revived, per the NHSP. He was “ultimately pronounced deceased,” the release noted.
The man was identified as Vincent Parr, 37, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, WMUR News 9 reported.
The family had been enjoying the water for hours before the “freak incident,” New Hampshire Marine Patrol Sgt. Nicholas Haroutunian said, describing Parr as “heroic,” per the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Unable To Be Revived’: Mother Drowns Trying To Save Son As Father Rescues Other Son Trapped In Boulders)
Vincent Parr died saving his spouse and her son from Swift River #NewHampshire. His mother says when it comes to what he did, “because of the character of the man he was.” Parr, 37, was living in #Lawrence MA #boston25 pic.twitter.com/UornFWZOXL
— Katie Brace (@KatieBraceNews) August 21, 2023
Parr’s mother, Becky, described him as a “[l]oving, kind, generous, very family-oriented” man who “left everybody feeling warm and happy,” WMUR reported.
New England has seen heavy rainfall over the summer, which the New Hampshire Marine Patrol linked to strong, fast currents and a recent spate of drownings across the state, per the WMUR report.
“If you’re going to be around water, take some swim lessons to obviously get that skill built up. Just be careful,” Haroutunian warned, according to the outlet.