Park Resident Rescued After Fall

A resident of Grand Canyon National Park was rescued via short-haul yesterday morning after suffering a fall during a recreational climb of Newton Butte. On Monday evening, rangers received notification that a man had been injured in a fall at the butte, which is located about a mile and a half north of Shoshone Point. Due to quickly diminishing light conditions and the treacherous nature of the route to his location, a decision was made to send in a ranger/paramedic to stabilize the man and make him as comfortable as possible until a full-scale rescue could be launched in the morning. Upon arriving at the scene, the ranger/paramedic found that the 33-year-old man had fallen approximately 50 feet and sustained non-life-threatening injuries to both legs. On Tuesday morning, supplies were flown in by the park’s helicopter so that the ranger/paramedic could prepare the man for transport.  The patient and ranger were then short-hauled to the canyon rim. From there, the injured man was transported via park ambulance to meet a Guardian Medical Transport ambulance for final transport to Flagstaff Medical Center. The park has commended the man’s climbing partner, who made his friend as comfortable as possible, supplying him with as much gear as he could spare before hiking out to get assistance. He then led the ranger/paramedic back to the man’s location in the dark along a treacherous route. Park helitack and trail crew members as well as park ranger staff participated in this rescue operation. To see video clips of the rescue, click on the link below.