Iowa Teacher and Student Drown in Lake Macbride After Rescue Attempt
A fifth-grade teacher and a 10-year-old student died after the teacher attempted to rescue the child who had fallen into Lake Macbride State Park during a field trip.
A group of fifth-grade students used their teacher's phone to call 911 as she bravely attempted to rescue a 10-year-old classmate who had fallen into Lake Macbride State Park in Iowa on September 22. Both the teacher, Hannah Jorgensen, 24, and the student, Ahmed Osman, subsequently drowned.
The incident occurred around noon while Jorgensen and her 14 students from Borlaug Elementary were on a field trip for the School of the Wild program. They had stopped to eat lunch near the shoreline when Osman slipped on rocks in the spillway and fell into the water.
Jorgensen instructed the students to call the police while she entered the water to try and save Osman. A bystander also jumped in to assist but was unable to help. First responders recovered Jorgensen's body from the lake at approximately 12:43 p.m. and pronounced her dead at the scene. The search for Osman was suspended that night due to darkness and his body was found the following afternoon.
An investigation into the fatal accident is ongoing. Jorgensen's obituary described her as someone who always dreamed of being a teacher and died protecting her students. Her funeral was held on September 28, followed by a private burial.
Osman was remembered as a member of the Neighborhood Centers community. His father, Mohamed Osman, told We Are Iowa that he had packed cake in his son's lunchbox for the trip. He described Jorgensen as a hero who sacrificed herself to save his son.
The remaining 13 students were escorted back to their school and interviewed by authorities. The bystander and the students remained at the scene after the incident.