Mom of 6 dies trying to rescue 4-year-old son after he falls into river

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) - Authorities in Florida say a mother of six died after jumping into a river to try to rescue her 4-year-old son, who had fallen into the water.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said 43-year-old Nicole Grayson, a mother of six, jumped into the St. Johns River Saturday afternoon at Ed Stone Park near DeLand after her 4-year-old son fell in. Witnesses pulled both of them from the water.

The 4-year-old survived, but his mother died several hours later at the hospital.

Boater Marc Swartz said he was on the river at the time of the incident when he heard someone yelling for help.

“I looked. There’s no other boaters out there, nobody rendering help. I thought, ‘Well, I better get over here because nobody else is out here to help,’” Swartz said.

As he approached, he threw life jackets toward Grayson and her son, but they weren’t able to grab them.

“I was able to maneuver my boat over to them, and I was able to grab the boy. I put him on the boat, and I grabbed the mother, tried to. She was already under,” Swartz said.

Jon Reaka was nearby when he heard someone yelling for help. He rushed to Swartz’s boat, where he helped bring Grayson aboard and began CPR.

“As soon as I saw what was going on, I jumped over the handrail, pulled her up onto the boat and started doing CPR and mouth-to-mouth, trying everything I could to resuscitate her and everything in my power to bring her back,” Reaka said.

Helping, Reaka said, was an instinct.

“It’s just what I would want somebody to do for my family and, you know, try to save a life,” he said. “It’s just sad what happened. It really is. It’s a tragedy.”

The 4-year-old fell into the river after leaning over a wooden fence to get a toy that had fallen into the water, according to the sheriff’s office incident report. Grayson immediately entered the river after him.

The report also notes the fence where the boy fell in was “apparently knee high” and not tall enough to prevent accidents.

A spokesperson for Volusia County says this lowered section of railing is designed to provide “accessible fishing opportunities for park visitors with mobility limitations or who fish while seated.” The county says the feature has been in place for more than 10 years and was added following input from the community.

But Reaka questions whether this entire incident could have been prevented had the railing been taller or if there had been additional safety measures.

“I think there should be some sort of lifesaving devices here, like throw rings, even possibly a ladder to hold onto. Six kids are without their mother today because of this right here,” he said.