13-year-old boy plunges 100 feet over edge of Grand Canyon’s North Rim — and survives
A 13-year-old boy is miraculously alive after he plunged 100 feet over the edge of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, officials said.
When search and rescue arrived Aug. 8, team members realized a helicopter rescue at the popular Bright Angel Point Trail wasn’t possible. The team quickly set up a rope rescue and hoisted him back up to the rim, Grand Canyon National Park officials said in an Aug. 10 news release.
He was flown to a pediatric trauma center and was in stable condition at the time of the release.
Officials did not include information about how he fell from the Bright Angel Point Trail. While the trail is “beautiful and popular,” it’s “also exposed, narrow, and surprisingly steep,” officials said.
Visitors should stay on designated trails and stay at least six feet away from the edge of the rim. No one should climb over any railing, fence, or other barrier, either, officials said.
The park’s search and rescue team handles more than 300 calls for service per year, from heat illness to falls over the edge of the canyon, officials said.
About a year ago, on Aug. 22, a 44-year-old man died after he fell 200 feet near Bright Angel Point on the North Rim, officials said. He’d gone off trail when he accidentally fell over the edge.
This story was originally published August 11, 2023 at 4:09 PM with the headline "13-year-old boy plunges 100 feet over edge of Grand Canyon’s North Rim — and survives."
