Doctor, 57, dies as a result of falling ice while hiking with sons in NH White Mountains

A Massachusetts doctor died two days before Christmas when falling ice hit her. She was on a hike with family and friends at the time.

Boston 25 reported that Dr. Judith Pinsker went on a hiking trip with about ten others on December 23. They passed through the Frankenstein Cliff Trail in New Hampshire.

At one point, falling ice struck Pinsker, causing a serious head injury. The Mountain Rescue Service, Bartlett Jackson Ambulance, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the DHART life flight helicopter all responded.

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Fish and Game conservation officers were also called in. They later released a statement providing details of the tragic incident. It happened around noon.

Pinsker, 57, was taken to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway.

The statement read:

"Unfortunately, her injury was severe and despite the best efforts of her family, friends and volunteers, she did not survive."

Sergeant Alex Lopashanski of Fish and Game also said:

"I'm sure it'll hit the family hard, especially this time of year. People go into the mountains, and people don't expect these things to happen. It's the last thing anybody expects to happen."

Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith, 20, was with his mom, dad, and brother for the hike. He took a picture of Pinsker within an hour of when she was struck.

He shared the photo to Facebook, along with a touching caption:

"She died doing something she loved, in a place she loved, surrounded by people she loved. This picture was taken by me less than an hour before she was killed. You can tell she was happy and at peace."

He continued:

"Everything about her was inspirational. Her kindness, wit, work ethic, and strength will never leave me, and I will forever work to be a better person because of her. She could not have done a better job as a parent."

Pinsker was a doctor at the Tufts Medical Center for 20 years before she died. She and her husband Dr. Benjamin Smith were together for 27 years. Their other son, Eric, 22, also witnessed the occurrence.

Tufts Medical Center released a statement which read:

"There are no words at times like these. We will be keeping Dr. Pinsker and her family in our thoughts this holiday season."

Smith described his wife in an interview:

"She was a force of nature. She maintained so many different activities in addition to her work."

Pinsker was a skier, hiker, and biker who played the flute, gardened and enjoyed baking. She came from a Princeton and Havard educated background.

A similar story, fortunately, did not result in any deaths. However, one mother was left in a state of panic when her son forgot to tell her about a hike.

Jordan Craig left home to embark on a two-week trip to the Grand Canyon back in June. When his mom didn't see him, she reported him missing.

Craig had no idea what was going on until he finally got service to his phone again. He shared the story on Facebook saying "lmao I love my mom" at the end.