Yellowstone visitor saved after fall into canyon

Posted 5/18/15

The 71-year-old man fell over a stone barrier and into the canyon on May 10, according to a Monday news release from Yellowstone officials. He’d reportedly stumbled while trying to take a picture of a sign at Grand View, a scenic point located on …

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Yellowstone visitor saved after fall into canyon

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A New York man stopped just inches short of a fatal fall into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone before being saved by park rangers earlier this month.

The 71-year-old man fell over a stone barrier and into the canyon on May 10, according to a Monday news release from Yellowstone officials. He’d reportedly stumbled while trying to take a picture of a sign at Grand View, a scenic point located on the north side of the canyon.

The man fell about 25 feet before being able to stop himself — bracing his body and feet on opposite sides of a small crevice, according to a release from the Park Service.

It was just in time: he stopped at the edge of a precipice overlooking a 200-foot drop down the wall of the canyon.

Another visitor saw the man fall and called 911.

When the first two rangers arrived on scene, they threw him a looped rope and secured him to a sign and tree at the top of the canyon. Park Service employees and members of the Yellowstone Technical Rescue Team later arrived and set up a system of ropes and pulleys. He was then able to walk to safety with the help of the ropes, pulleys and a ranger who descended to his location.

“According to staff on scene, the man was extremely lucky,” said the release from the park service. Park officials said only the crevice and angle of the man’s body allowed him to break his fall; they said he likely would have plummeted to his death had he stumbled just inches to the left.

After getting out of the canyon, the man was taken to a hospital to be treated for a possible hip injury.

A total of 17 Park Service staffers assisted with the rescue.

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