A girl gored by a bison wasn’t the only near-fatal incident to happen in Yellowstone National Park over the past week. Park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett says that on Sunday, May 10, a man fell into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and was just inches away from certain death.

"A 71-year-old man from New York was attempting to take a picture at Grand View in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone," Bartlett said. "He was moving back, trying to get the sign into the viewfinder, when he stumbled backwards over a stone barrier, into the canyon. He was able to stop himself after falling about 25 feet by wedging his body and feet into opposing sides of the crevasse."

In another stroke of luck, a nearby visitor happened to see the man fall, and quickly called 911.

"About 17 people in total were involved in the rescue, and they were able to actually send somebody down over the edge to descend to the man's location and pull him back up," Bartlett said. "He was extremely lucky about where he fell, if he had fallen just a couple inches to the left he probably wouldn't have been able to stop himself because it is mostly scree and loose rock."

The man was taken to a hospital for a hip injury. If he hadn’t been able to brace himself after falling 25 feet, he would have fallen another 200 feet to the rocks below.

 

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