An unidentified teenager miraculously survived a nearly 400-foot plunge into a chasm in Washington National Forest Canyon, located in Mason County, WA, about 100 miles north of Seattle.
The 19-year-old, who remains unidentified, was walking on the High Steel Bridge, one of the tallest railroad bridges in America, on Saturday afternoon when he fell 365 feet into the canyon below.
On Facebook, the Mason County Sheriff’s Department posted images of the harrowing rescue showing members of the Special Operations Rescue Team lifting the young man back onto the bridge in a harness. In a stunning twist, the young man suffered only minor scrapes and bruises. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. No other details about the young man’s condition or identity have been disclosed.
Authorities say this is a particularly dangerous area that was never intended to become a proper hiking path. Still, it’s recommended only for the most skilled adventurers.West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander explained to NBC affiliate K5 News that the teen “was walking down a washout that a lot of people use, and has kind of become a trail. It’s not a trail,” Welander reiterated. “It’s a washout, it’s too steep. And [he] ended up all the way down at the river, sliding.”
Tim Ripp, a Mason County Sheriff patrol corporal, reported to NBC News that unprepared hikers making their way onto the makeshift trail is a continuous issue. “We’ve told people to stay off these trails because they’re dangerous, but people either haven’t seen the warning signs or are disregarding it,” he said.
Indeed, the area is outfitted with several safety signs, one of which reads: "Warning: The areas around the high steel bridge are slippery, steep, and unsafe for exploring."
According to Welander, the area is “extremely dangerous” and to be dealt with carefully. The young man was “incredibly lucky” to have survived the fall at all, let alone with such minor injuries, but inevitably not all risk-takers will be so lucky.
"We get a lot of practice hauling dead bodies out of here," Welander bluntly reported. "It's probably a 20-to-one ratio.”
Ripp himself is one of the lucky survivors of a similar fall. He incurred a devastating injury whilst on a recovery mission some years ago. "A boulder came down and struck another deputy in the face. He went off the cliffside, and I caught him and ended up getting injured in the process," Ripp recalled. "My spine took a lot of injury. From doing that there was an 18-month recovery, where I'd actually lost feeling in both arms.”
Ripp has since regained the feeling in his arms, but he’s urging anyone who’s feeling tempted to avoid the High Steel Bridge. "Don’t go off trail, it—I can speak from experience, your loved ones are going to appreciate that you don't go off the trail" he said.
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