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Helpless Bystanders Watch NJ Hiker Take Fatal Fall At PA Park, Coroner Says

An afternoon hike in a Pennsylvania park ended in tragedy when a New Jersey woman fell to her death as helpless bystanders looked on, authorities told Daily Voice on Tuesday, Sept. 10. 

Catherine Elder 

Catherine Elder 

Photo Credit: Facebook/Catherine Elder
Catherine Elder 

Catherine Elder 

Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Catherine Elder @catherine-elder-2019

Catherine Elder, 61, of Milford, NJ, was "doing something she loved" when she fell to her death at Ringing Rocks Park in Bridgetown Township, PA, the Bucks County Coroner's office told Daily Voice and her friends wrote on social media. 

Elder "was walking along the top of the Waterfall section of the park when she slipped and fell to the base," the coroner told us, noting that "the fall was witnessed by bystanders, 911 was called and she was pronounced at [the] scene by first responders at 1 p.m." This happened on Sunday, Sept. 8, according to the coroner.

The 128-acre park features 10-foot-high rock piles that make ringing sounds when struck, according to the county's website. It is unclear if she was on one of those piles when she slipped. 

The fall led to injuries to her head and right arm, which were cited as the cause of her death, and the manner was ruled accidental. 

Catherine was a dog breeder who was the former president of the Mid-Atlantic Flat-Coated Retriever Club, according to a Facebook post by the organization.

Her community has been sharing about its sudden loss on social media. 

Catherine was a class of 1985 graduate of Keene State where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology according to her Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. 

She went on to do the following for work as she wrote in her LinkedIn About section:

"I am a proven and dedicated Project Manager and Business Analyst with experience within the Insurance industry. My background includes Project Management, Integration, Business Analysis, Quality Control/Assurance, Compliance and International business travel."

A visitation is scheduled at the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home located at 24 Church Road, Holland Township, NJ, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Her interment will be held privately, as stated in her obituary posted by Johnson-Walton Funeral Home.

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