Boy, 13, survives 100ft plunge into Grand Canyon after he tried to move out of the way so tourists could take photos
14 August 2023, 11:17
A 13-year-old boy has survived a 100ft fall into the Grand Canyon while trying to move away from a tourist photo.
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Wyatt Kauffman broke his vertebrae and broken hand, ruptured his spleen and suffered a collapse lung but survived the fall from the North Rim in Arizona.
He had been trying to get out of the way for tourists to take photos when he fell back.
"I was up on the ledge and was moving out of the way so other people could take a picture," he told local media in Phoenix.
"I squatted down and was holding onto a rock. I only had one hand on it.
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"It wasn't that good of a grip. It was kind of pushing me back. I lost my grip and started to fall back."
He added: "After the fall, I don't remember anything after that.
"I just remember somewhat waking up and being in the back of an ambulance and a helicopter and getting on a plane and getting here."
Dozens of rescuers were dispatched and he was saved by park workers who rappelled down the cliff when it became clear a helicopter could not reach him in the terrain.
He was taken to hospital after the fall on Tuesday but has since been discharged.
Brian Kauffman, Wyatt's father, who was at their home in North Dakota at the time, said: "We're extremely grateful for the work of everyone.
"We're just lucky we're bringing our kid home in a car in the front seat instead of in a box.
Megan Smith, of the National Park Service's search and rescue team, said: "I can say with great confidence that they put to use advanced medical skills in an austere environment that are rarely executed in most other places.
"It's clear that their training and hard work paid off, leading to a smooth, timely operation that will no doubt lead to better outcomes for this patient."
It comes weeks after a 33-year-old man fell to his death in a 4,000ft drop at the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass bridge offering views down to the Colorado River.
He was pronounced dead at the scene on June 5.
