Mom, 33, dies saving her toddler from drowning in Lake Powell

A Lakewood mother this week died saving her 2year-old son from drowning in Lake Powell.

The accident happened Tuesday afternoon in the Hall’s Crossing area when the boy fell from a moving houseboat, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Utah.

Chelsea Russell, 33, jumped into the water and was able to grab her child. They were not wearing life jackets, the sheriff’s office said.

When the houseboat shut down, Russell’s brother was able to untie a smaller boat that was being towed. By the time the smaller boat reached the pair, the “conscious child was rescued from atop the mother’s chest,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Russell was “unconscious when pulled from the water,” the sheriff ’s office said.

CPR was administered in the boat as Russell was taken to Hall’s Crossing Marina, where CPR efforts continued for about 30 minutes before she was pronounced dead.

The toddler was flown to Flagstaff (Ariz.) Medical Center in stable condition for precautionary medical evaluation, according to a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area news release.

“There are no words to convey the tragedy of losing a loved one like this,” said Teri Tucker, acting superintendent of the national recreation area. “Our hearts are with the family and friends of the victims during this time of unexpected pain and loss.”

The cause of death is presumed to be drowning, pending coroner’s confirmation.

Russell’s death is the sixth fatality in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area this year.

“A common denominator in more than 120 fatalities at Lake Powell in the last decades is that victims were not wearing life jackets, Meri Sias, acting chief ranger at Glen Canyon, said in the news release. ” While life jackets are required for children 12 years of age and under, all boaters on Lake Powell are encouraged to wear life jackets.

The accident is being investigated by the National Park Service, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and Utah State Parks.