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Tufts doctor struck by falling ice, dies while hiking in New Hampshire

HART'S LOCATION, New Hampshire — A 57-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed Sunday when falling ice struck her head while she was hiking with her family.

The accident occurred around noon on Sunday, New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a statement.

Dr. Judith Pinsker, a Wellesley resident and primary care physician at Tufts Medical Center, was hit by a falling piece of ice and sustained a serious head injury on the Frankenstein Cliff Trail in Hart's Location.

She was hiking with a group of 10 people which included her husband and sons.

Members of Mountain Rescue Service, Bartlett Jackson Ambulance, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the DHART life flight helicopter responded along with Fish and Game conservation officers.

Ice climbers in the area also assisted the hiking party with the victim and she was transported to the Arethusa Falls parking lot.

She was sent by ambulance to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway.

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

A statement from Tufts Medical Center to Pinsker's colleagues said she had been at Tufts for more than 20 years and "leaves a loving family and hundreds of Primary Care Boston patients who have been fortunate to experience her expertise and warmth."