Tourists view the Grand Canyon in Arizona, April 2007. A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday. (AFP)
Posted on 10/10/2007 4:52:05 PM PDT by Libloather
Four-year-old girl dies in Grand Canyon death plunge
10-10-2007, 17h34
PHOENIX, United States (AFP)
Tourists view the Grand Canyon in Arizona, April 2007. A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday. (AFP)
A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday.
The Arizona girl was the second-youngest person to die from an accidental fall from the canyon rim, according to experts.
The girl fell 450 feet (150 meters) about early Tuesday from Mather Point on the South Rim, one of the park's most popular overlooks. There are no guard rails in the spot where the girl fell.
"Her father immediately went down after her and began administering CPR," said Maureen Oltrogge, spokeswoman for Grand Canyon National Park. The girl was pronounced dead on the scene by medical crews. "It's being investigated as an accident," Oltrogge said.
The incident was the second fatal fall from the canyon rim this year, according to Oltrogge. The first occurred in August.
An average of two to three people die from accidental falls into the canyon every year, said Oltrogge, who has been park spokeswoman for 20 years.
The youngest death on record was a one year-old who died along with his five year-old brother in 1958 when the family sedan rolled off an overlook as the adults stood nearby, according to "Over The Edge: Death In Grand Canyon," a comprehensive volume of all known fatalities in the national park.
Ping
That is just heart breaking.
Prayers up for the family.
horrible, horrible tragedy. God please give them strength.
How sad. This is one place where I would condone the use of those kid leashes.
Prayers for the family.
Dad tried to revive her, and she died in his arms.
I don’t know how I’d handle it.
Stupid... stupid.... stupid....
Soon as I read, thought of Eric Clapton’s kid going out the window in their apt in NYC. SAD!!
I've seen MANY kids under 10 years old allowed by parents to walk freely around the rim areas, and also to sit on the rim, with feet dangling over the edge.
Unfortunatley, lack of supervision will lead to fences being built, ruining some really startling beautiful views.
I don't know what happened in this particular incident, but the parents who do let their children run freely (and I do mean RUN) around the rim areas are certainly not using common sense.
While we were there an Indian family visiting the Canadian side let their young daughter hop into the river below the falls for a quick dip. Last they saw of her until they pulled her body out of Lake Ontario.
Some spots on Earth are not inherently safe!
Under the same circumstances...I'd be hard pressed not to take the leap myself.
OMG, that’s horrible.
I saw the same thing on my last trip to Hoover Dam.
I stood there and made sure hubby and I stayed a few feet away. Prayers for the family.
Yes, and it’s a little spooky to ME to get near the rim with all the loose sand and gravel in some areas. Pictures never do justice to the massive scale of this piece of God’s work. But it is not something to take lightly (the danger of getting too close to the edge).
She fell 450 feet. She was dead before he could get to her. I fun family outing turns into tragedy.
Amen.
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