PHOENIX—A 67-year-old California man died when he fell over a ledge while visiting the Grand Canyon, marking the third death in eight days at the popular Arizona tourist destination, park officials said on Thursday, April 4.
The man was visiting Grand Canyon National Park alone at about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday when he reportedly fell off the edge at a viewing spot on the South Rim, said spokesman Murray Shoemaker.
Rescuers were alerted by a bystander and the man’s body was recovered several hours later about 400 feet below the rim by the park’s helicopter and a technical rescue team, Shoemaker said. The victim’s name and hometown were not immediately released.
The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the death, but officials said it has initially been ruled accidental.
It was the third confirmed fatality in separate incidents at the sprawling attraction this year, two of them within the park’s boundaries.
The first of the three deaths was not the result of a fall, according to Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes, a spokeswoman for the Grand Canyon National Park.
She said the victim was a foreign national and that the body was found on March 26, in a forested area south of the South Rim Village area of the park.
Two days later, a Hong Kong tourist fell to his death at an overlook on Hualapai tribal land.
The man in his 50s was taking photos when he stumbled and fell, David Leibowitz said. Signs at Eagle Point warn tourists not to get too close to the edge. Leibowitz extended the tribe’s prayers to the man’s family.
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The crimson-hued canyon ranks as one of the world’s most popular outdoor tourist venues, attracting 6.38 million park visitors in 2018.
Falls at Grand Canyon
Authors Tom Myers and Michael Ghiglieri said that as of 2012, about 685 people had died from falling into the Grand Canyon.
Ghiglieri noted that the 1980s actually saw more deaths than recent years but there has been a shift in what kills people.
“Over the last decade, proportionally more people have been dying from environmental problems—mainly heat—while hiking,” he told the Arizona Daily Sun.
“This is despite everything the park has tried to do via educational signs and via preventative search and rescue work, both of which are pretty good. There were also proportionally more people dying from falls within the canyon (as opposed to from the rims).”
Of the people that fall over the edge, most are young males, he said.
About 12 deaths happen each year at the Grand Canyon, park spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski reported on the Grand Canyon blog earlier this year. On average, two or three of the deaths are from falls over the rim.
Other causes of death include natural causes, medical problems, suicides, heat, drowning, and traffic crashes.
The blog recommends people stick to paved paths on the rim, watch children closely both at the rim and on trails, and be aware of the possibility of falling at all times.
The official Grand Canyon website states on viewing the canyon safely: “Stay at least six feet from the edge. Hold on to Children. Do not lean over or go past walkways and railings. Always be aware of your surroundings. Do not back up without first looking where you are going.”
NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
