NJ Mom Drowns Attempting To Rescue Son

(1010 WINS) FRANKFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. ^ | Mar 29, 2004 7:05 am US/Eastern

[Calpernia]

A Sussex County woman saved her 5-year-old son from a capsized canoe in chilly lake waters before slipping beneath the surface and drowning Sunday, state police said.

The body of Debbie Snook, 33, was pulled from Culvers Lake about two hours after the 12:40 p.m. incident. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

``She stayed up long enough to save her son,'' Mary Grace Lattig, a neighbor of the woman, told The Star-Ledger of Newark. ``It's so cold, the ice just left the shore a couple days ago.''

State police said the child, Dylan Snook, and his father, Chris Snook, 34, had been fishing from a dock at their lakeside home when a lure became snagged. They paddled out in a canoe to free it, but the vessel capsized tossing them into the water.

The father was able to pull the child onto the overturned canoe, but as Snook tried to make their way ashore, his son lost his grip and slipped back into the water.

Debbie Snook, watching from the dock, saw her son slip off and rushed into the 40- to 45-degree water to save him, state police said.

A neighbor, Mario Spagnola, who was also watching, then paddled his rowboat out to the mother and son and retrieved the child, who was revived on the shore, then taken to a hospital.

Chris Snook was able to swim ashore. But his wife disappeared beneath the water, state police said.

The couple's son suffered hypothermia and was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital. He was later transferred to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where he was reported in stable condition. The father was not injured.

[mgc1122]

Hero ... plain and simple.

[b4its2late]

Sad.

[smiley]

This is what real Americans are made of....simple as that.

[Calpernia]

The body of Debbie Snook, 33, was pulled from Culvers Lake about two hours after the 12:40 p.m. incident. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

``She stayed up long enough to save her son,'' Mary Grace Lattig, a neighbor of the woman

[rrrod]

well said..very sad indeed

[b4its2late]

You're correct. She is a hero.

[cajungirl]

did the child have on a vest?

[alisasny]

A lifejacket on the child would have prevented this tragedy.

[EggsAckley]

This is terribly sad. But despite that, the question must be asked: what was the father thinking, putting a 5 year old into a canoe without a life preserver?

Not trying to diminish the heroics and the depth of tragedy here, but it seems like a logical question.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Meanwhile, the dad swam ashore and left his wife and son to drown.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Reach, throw, row, go.
Words to live by.
Should have been a life ring with rope on the dock. Father and son had no business being on the water this time of year without life jackets on. The father was lucky to make it to shore. He gets to live with his bad judgement.

[Rad_J]

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

...or family

[af_vet_1981]

A Sussex County woman saved her 5-year-old son from a capsized canoe in chilly lake waters before slipping beneath the surface and drowning Sunday, state police said. The body of Debbie Snook, 33, was pulled from Culvers Lake about two hours after the 12:40 p.m. incident. She was pronounced dead at the scene. ``She stayed up long enough to save her son,'' Mary Grace Lattig, a neighbor of the woman, told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

May G-d richly bless this woman, this heroine, and comfort all who mourn.

What a brave, good mother.

[Calpernia]

A mother's attempt to rescue her 5-year-old son from the frigid waters of Culver Lake in Sussex County yesterday turned deadly when she disappeared under the water just moments before a neighbor arrived in a rowboat to pull the boy to safety.

Divers found the body of Debbie Snook, 33, of Frankford Township more than two hours after she leapt from the dock in front of her home into the water to aid her son Dylan, who was tossed from a canoe when it capsized, according to the State Police.


"She stayed up long enough to save her son," said neighbor Mary Grace Lattig, who rushed outside after hearing screams coming from the lake at about 12:40 p.m. "It's so cold, the ice just left the shore a couple days ago."

Snook kept Dylan afloat until her neighbor, Mario Spagnola, was able to reach the boy with his rowboat.

Snook's son and her husband, Chris, 34, had been fishing from the dock of their East Shore Drive house when a lure became snagged, police said.

Chris Snook and Dylan paddled out in a canoe in an attempt to free the lure when the boat capsized, tossing both of them into the cold lake, according to police. Chris Snook helped Dylan onto the top of the overturned canoe and attempted to push it to shore, police said.

Dylan lost his grip on the canoe and began to float away, police said. Debbie Snook dove into the water to save her son while her husband swam ashore, police said. Chris Snook was not injured.

Mario Spagnola said his wife, Judy, spotted the unmanned canoe floating away and heard cries for help. Spagnola jumped in his rowboat and headed out about 150 feet into the lake to help Snook and her son.

"I rowed as fast as I could," Spagnola said last night. "The currents and the wind were just pushing me away."

Spagnola had to abandon his first attempt to bring Snook and Dylan aboard the boat because he started to drift away when he stopped rowing to offer them a hand. By the time he turned around for a second pass, only Dylan was still above the water, though he was now unconscious.

"I said 'grab this oar' and there was no response," Spagnola said. "I reached in and grabbed the little boy by his fingertips, literally. I swiped him right out of the water."

Dylan wasn't breathing and hypothermia had started to set in, Spagnola said.

"He was unconscious when I dragged him out," Spagnola said. "His lips were purple."

Spagnola placed Dylan on the center bench of the rowboat and began to give him mouth-to-mouth, occasionally stopping to press on his chest.

"He started coughing and throwing up," Spagnola said. "Then I saw bubbles and breaths coming out of his lips. On the way back to shore, the little boy started to cry. That was the sweetest sound because I knew he was going to be okay."

Spagnola handed the boy off to rescue workers that had arrived at the shore and took his rowboat back out on the lake to look for Snook. But she never returned to the surface of the 555-acre lake and Spagnola was unable to find her.

Dylan was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital suffering from hypothermia and was later transferred to Morristown Memorial Hospital. The boy was in stable condition last night and is expected to be fine, police said.

More than a dozen boats were called to assist in the search. A dive team from Port Jervis, N.Y., recovered the body.

"I just feel so bad for the woman," said Spagnola, who didn't know the Snooks before yesterday. "She just disappeared. It's eating me up. Just a few more minutes -- we didn't move fast enough."

Both of Chris and Debbie Snook's families are from Sussex County. Visitors filled the family's home last night to mourn Debbie Snook's death and to console her husband, according to the Rev. Peter Filipkowski, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Newton.

Debbie Snook's parents, Doug and Kathleen Modrow, attend St. Joseph's Church. Filipkowski went to the Snook house last night to bless the body.

"There was a lot of friends," Filipkowski said. "It's very sad."


http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1080544241230280.xml?starledger?nnj

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sorry, but this has absolutely zero to do with being or not being American. Any good mom would try and do the same thing.

[Huck]

A few lessons....

1. Bring life jackets--it's the law! (grown ups don't have to wear, but have to have it in the boat, kids have to wear it.

2. Cut the line and get another lure. Snags happen. Don't risk your life over a damned lure.

[Esther Ruth]

Very sad! It used to be a law, life jackets on kids. Is it still a law? In the 60s and 70s we always had these on as kids, we would whine and hollor hoping we could leave them off to no avail, those big orange canvas things - have to have them on!

[Calpernia]

Ping

[End Times Sentinel]

There is no love in the world like that of a parent for their child.  Debbie will be walking with The Lord shortly.  God Bless her.

God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.

I pray for the dead, especially for Debbie Snook.  May those who have been dear to her in life find a place with You in heaven.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence; their lives change bud do not end.  I pray in hope for her family, relatives and friends and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company of Christ Who died and now lives may they rejoice in Your kingdom where all our tears are wiped away.  Unite us together as one family, to sing your praise forever and ever.

Owl_Eagle

”Unleash the Hogs of Peace.”
P.J. O'Rourke Parliament of Whores

There is no love in the world like that of a parent for their child.  Debbie will be walking with The Lord shortly.  God Bless her.

God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.

I pray for the dead, especially for Debbie Snook.  May those who have been dear to her in life find a place with You in heaven.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence; their lives change bud do not end.  I pray in hope for her family, relatives and friends and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company of Christ Who died and now lives may they rejoice in Your kingdom where all our tears are wiped away.  Unite us together as one family, to sing your praise forever and ever.