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 ...
It is beautiful country. I haven’t been up that way in too long.
Nope never heard of the Grand Canyon before the Indians built the glass walkway.
/s
https://time.com/5885096/airplane-collision-history/
At dawn the next day, Burd and Strong took off in one H-19, and Capt. Jim Womack and 1st Lt. Phil Prince took off in the other. By then the crew of an amphibious aircraft, an SA-16 Albatross, from Hamilton Air Force Base in California, had spotted what they assumed was the United wreckage, but they couldn’t land for confirmation. Burd and Strong flew back and forth at random over the canyon and were about to head to Grand Canyon Airport to refuel when Burd spotted a glint on Chuar Butte. With nothing flat to set down on, he touched one wheel to the ground, and the flight surgeon leaned out and grabbed a piece of the wreckage.
They landed back at Grand Canyon Village and Burd told the waiting reporters, “We found the crash and we have a piece to verify it.”
Krewel.../s
It’s a really big place. That’s still desert. And high altitude. And a lot big drops. And not a lot of supervision. And it’s visited by millions. And on average 1 a month screws up and dies. Honestly, that ain’t bad. Probably more people die driving to or from it than at it.
That means they haven’t notified next of kin yet, so they didn’t tell the press.
Given the height of that protective barrier, I’d rule “extreme stupidity”.
Is that enough of a fall to reach terminal velocity?
The last thing to go through his mind was his ass.
There is.
I think the soul can leave the body before impact if it chooses.
Cannonball from the high dive?
Do you think the guy said ah f it and did a few full gainers on the way down?
Priceless.
See post #69 on this thread. I’ll believe someone who lives in the area and who worked on the Skyway over someone making an unsupported assertion. If you can provide proof of your claim, please do.
How much lateral velocity would be required to clear side obstacles, given the fall distance? The guy is dead.
Lots of variables there. Given that he started 1.5 miles away from the Colorado River in the main canyon (per post #69) and that it would take 27 seconds to fall 4,000 feet (per post #72), that works out to about 200 mph of lateral velocity at the start of the fall. Of course, this does not allow for air resistance slowing his lateral speed, so the initial lateral velocity needed would have to be considerably higher than 200 mph.
I have no doubt that the guy is dead, though.
I should have been a clue when he asked someone to hold his beer.
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