An 18-year-old French man has a heck of a tale to take home with him after visiting the Grand Canyon Aug. 5 – and surviving a fall over the edge.
French tourist hauled out of Grand Canyon/NPS photo by Paul M. Ross Jr.
The young man, whose name was not released, slipped and fell over the rim about one-quarter mile east of Mather Point, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
Witnesses say he slipped while taking photos near the canyon’s edge.
Rangers responded to the 2:45 p.m. phone call to the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center and spotted the teen below the rim. He was conscious but needing medical help.
Rangers rappelled down to the fellow to assess his injuries and stabilize him for transport on the park helicopter.
He was lifted out of the canyon by 4:15 p.m. via short-haul operation, or a line suspended below the copter, returned to the helibase and taken by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center.
He suffered neck, wrist and ankle injuries, but none that were listed as life threatening.
No further information was immediately available, such as the condition of his camera or if he got the photo of his life, but the release did close with an a propos warning:
The National Park Service would like to remind all Grand Canyon visitors that approaching the rim can be hazardous due to uneven terrain and loose rock. Visitors are strongly encouraged to stay on the paved Rim Trail which provides a safe vantage point from which to view and take pictures of the canyon.
[tnipoll]
What do you think?
Have you ever risked your life for a photo?
Have you ever survived a harrowing incident that could have killed you?
What a lucky young man!
lucky for sure. geesh. refreshing to get a news release about grand canyon tumble where person lived. we need more happy endings.
“We need more happy endings.” That could be read a number of different ways. 🙂
ha! such is the beauty of interpretation (and another reason i dig poetry so dearly…)
My Wife and I were visiting the leper colony on Molokai Hawaii many years ago, and the guide pointed to a barricade and said do not go over it, as the ground was unstable and one could take a fall over the cliff into the Ocean. Immediately, a Frenchman started climbing over it to have his picture taken. The French seem to have a propencity to climb into dangerous situations around the world.
wow, alan in kent wa, now that you mention it…
that is an acute observation. and one that matches one of my own experiences.
i recall being at a zoo in london that housed this billygoat that was ramming the heck out of anything in its path. most kids were getting out of the way – or staying on the other side of the fence altogether – save for one little french boy.
he and his mom were laughing laughing laughing as the billygoat seemed about to plunge a horn into the child’s eye.
what the heck is that about?
Perhaps he fell “into” the canyon, rather than “over” it?