Posted on 06/17/2023 3:03:48 AM PDT by Libloather
A man fell to his death at the Grand Canyon Skywalk earlier this week, as the Grand Canyon National Park was recently named the deadliest of America's 63 national parks.
The unidentified man, 33, went over the edge of the Sky Walk the morning of June 5, falling 4,000 feet down to his death.
Search and rescue teams from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office used ropes and a helicopter to try and help the fallen man.
Crews pronounced the man dead at the scene and transferred him to the Hualapai Nation, who operate the attraction.
It's not clear if the victim fell from the edge of the canyon or from the Skywalk structure itself, though the county search and rescue team posted a link to a suicide prevention hotline on Facebook.
The investigation into his death is ongoing but the Grand Canyon has consistently proved to be a dangerous spot for those taking risks from great heights.
It is best known for the Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that juts out 70 feet from the canyon walls and gives visitors a view of the Colorado River 4,000 feet below.
The Canyon and the river have deep threads in the Hualapai tribe's history. The lower 108 miles of the Canyon and parts of the Colorado River are situated on the Hualapai Reservation.
Meanwhile, Grand Canyon National Park - which is not affiliated with the Skywalk - was named the deadliest national park in the United States.
A Freedom of Information Act request uncovered that at least six people have died and 56 more have gone missing over the last five years at Grand Canyon National Park.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
There was a dcoumentary on how this skywalk was built. Very fascinating engineering. Obviously, this guy committed suicide.
I have different fears and not fears about heights. I can fly off in a Cessna and not worry about the height. I have never sky dived but think I would do that before bungee jumping. The thought of bouncing around on the end of a rubber band having no control of the situation does not fill me with a warm feeling.
The current world record in speed skydiving competition is about 329 mph. Felix Baumgartner reached over 830 mph in his 2012 jump, though.
That was what stuck out for me-that whole sentence!
Living in Arizona 35 years ago is when I developed the habit of always being armed and well-watered when venturing into the back country.
It seems that some people kind of go insane once they leave the confines of “civilization,” plus you have critters to contend with.
I worked for a subcontractor to the project when they built it. You are absolutely right. The first bounce from off the very end would only be about 100ft down, after that it was a tumble.
They misrepresent the true location of the bridge attraction. It is not at all over the main part of the canyon and river, it is off in a side canyon and a good 1.5 miles from the main canyon. So the depth under the walk isn’t even close to 4kft, more like 2,000ft.
But the truth isn’t nearly as sensational. And 99% of the readers eat stuff like this right up without thinking about it for one moment.
He fell 4,000 feet.
Question: Is that straight down or does one bounce off of canyon walls a few times?
Either way....
BTW. Google says it takes 27 seconds to fall 4,000 feet.
The worst and longest 27 seconds of that man’s life.
“Any thoughts about final thoughts?”
Prayers to Jesus. Nothing else matters at that point.
Some people are just incurably stupid. Ragheads, for example.
The writer should have done his research better.
The GC Skywalk is not part of the Grand Canyon National Park so this death would not show up its statistics. The Skywalk and GC West are owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe and not part of the GCNP.
Every time this happens they seem to toss a few things in trying to plug the attraction while they are at it.
From what I’ve read on this thread, I’m not likely to go there.
Yep. I won’t go near it.
It is a scam... Not what they boast it to be. I have a place about six miles away just outside the Reservation. Beautiful country but the Skywalk is a tourist trap.
Clark: J_____, it’s only the biggest g___d___ hole in the world.
Aunt Edna: Clark, watch your language!
Clark: Make that the second biggest.
I remember when 128 people were killed there in one day.
June 30, 1956. Two aircraft collided and crashed in the canyon.
Fifty years ago I read the book “The Man Who Walked Through Time”: The book by Colin Fletcher. He said the wrecked aircraft are still there.
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