Toddler dies after being pulled from water at Acton park, grandmother critically injured

A 1-year-old boy died Friday after being pulled from water at an Acton park, while his 75-year-old grandmother was critically injured trying to save him, authorities announced.

Emergency crews responded to NARA Park around 2 p.m. on Friday after the boy’s 4- and 6-year-old siblings yelled for help and attracted the attention of a bystander, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press conference. The bystander learned that two people were in the water and attempted to help.

Ryan said the family had been walking near the water when the toddler entered an area that is not designated for swimming. The water there is about 12 to 15 feet deep with slippery rocks, she said.

The grandmother went into the water in an apparent attempt to rescue the child. Neither she nor the children were wearing bathing suits, and investigators do not believe they had gone to the park to swim, Ryan said.

Lifeguards from a nearby camp also tried to help before emergency crews arrived.

The toddler, who was not identified, was taken by MedFlight to a Boston hospital, where he later died. He would have turned 2 next week, Ryan said. 

His grandmother was taken to a local hospital before being flown to a Boston hospital, where she remained in critical condition Friday.

The park was closed as investigators interviewed witnesses and lifeguards.

“This is a time to really save a thought for this family for the really unspeakable loss of the child, the trauma suffered by the siblings who were there,” Ryan said. “This is a moment to just really hold close the thought of this family, as well as the people you love in your own household.”

NARA Park, formally known as the Nathaniel Allen Recreation Area, is a 40-acre town-operated park on Ledge Rock Way. It includes a swimming pond, beach, playground, and walking trails and is staffed seasonally from Memorial Day weekend through late August, according to the Town of Acton.

Ryan’s office is investigating the incident.

The tragedy comes just over two weeks after an Acton mother and her 14-year-old son were found dead inside their Martha Lane home. The woman’s 17-year-old son was charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths.