Jamie Zimmerman, a doctor and medical reporter for ABC News, drowned in Hawaii. She was 31.
According to ABC News President James Goldston, who sent a memo to staff about the tragic mishap on Thursday, Zimmerman lost her footing while trying to cross the Lumahai River on Kauai’s north shore and was swept out to sea.
The incident occurred Monday before 4 p.m., with witnesses calling police to say they saw a woman being pulled out by the tide, the Kauai police said in an official news release. Lifeguards rushed out and found her unresponsive 200 yards east of the river mouth.
Zimmerman was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Her mother confirmed the death on Facebook.
According to Kauai County spokeswoman Sarah Blane, Lumahai can be dangerous for those unfamiliar with the area. However, no flash flood or high surf warning had been reported that day.
Zimmerman researched stories for ABC’s medical unit, and offered meditation sessions for the staff of ABC News in New York. Apart from ABC, she wrote for the Huffington Post, Sonima, Yoga Journal and Mind Body Green.
According to her mother’s Facebook post, Zimmerman’s accomplishments included helping Congolese refugees in Zambia, volunteering in hospitals in India and working with indigenous people in Peru. She served as a United Nations Global Health representative in Haiti.
See the Facebook post below.