LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A newly released recording of a 911 call is revealing new details about the final moments of two young brothers who drowned on Mother’s Day in Pinewood Springs near Lyons.
On the recording, a mother can be heard telling dispatchers her son witnessed the accident.
“My son was swimming with a father and two kids and they apparently drowned. We have no cellphone reception down there. My son says they’ve drowned. I’ve got to get down there and help,” she said.
The boys — 10-year-old Jacob Foreman and 7-year-old Daniel Foreman — were on a picnic with their father at the time of the accident.
The father jumped into the raging Little Thompson River to try to save them. He also tried performing CPR on the boys, but it was too late.
“My heart sinks. My heart goes to my feet. My serious condolences to this family,” said John Vogels, a Boulder man who lived that same nightmare.
In 2011, Vogels’ 3-year-old son Bladyn was playing in the yard when he got out through a fence, and fell into a neighbor’s pond and drowned.
“The first several months after it happened are pretty much a fog,” he said.
Vogels said the accident still affects him on a daily basis.
“Each day is worse than the day before. Each day is a harder struggle. It’s hard to make it to work. It’s hard to get up in the morning. It’s just hard to face the day,” he said.
Vogels has started a nonprofit called The Martyred Angels Foundation to help other families coping with the loss of children.
“There’s no preparation for it,” he said.
The organization helps families through the financial and emotional challenges that come with losing a child. Vogels said 80 percent of marriages don’t survive the loss of a child.
“We’re trying everything we can to keep families together. It’s so important for families to stay together,” he said.
The Martyred Angels Foundation helps families with everything from funeral costs to counseling.