North Dakota teen survives nearly 100-foot fall at North Rim of Grand Canyon
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — A 13-year-old North Dakota boy survived a fall of nearly 100 feet at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during a family trip.
Authorities said it took emergency crews two hours to rescue Wyatt Kauffman after he slipped on a cliff Tuesday and plunged nearly 100 feet down to the Bright Angel Point trail.
The teenager was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital for treatment of nine broken vertebrae plus a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, a concussion and a broken hand and dislocated finger.
“I was up on the ledge and was moving out of the way so other people could take a picture,” Wyatt told Phoenix TV station KPNX. “I squatted down and was holding on to a rock. I only had one hand on it.
“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.
Rescue crews had to rappel down the cliff and get the injured boy out of the canyon in a basket.
Joy Cho of Simi Valley was hiking with seven other people on Friday when she fell from Teewinot Mountain, park rangers said.
“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” to the hospital, said Wyatt, who lives in Casselton, N.D.
Brian Kauffman was in North Dakota when he heard about his son’s fall and rescue.
A National Park Service search-and-rescue team set up a rope rescue down to the steep and narrow trail and raised the teen safely to the rim.
“We’re extremely grateful for the work of everyone. Two hours is an eternity in a situation like that,” Kauffman said.
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He said the boy and his mother were on a trip to visit national parks when the fall occurred.
Kauffman said his son was discharged from the hospital Saturday and was being driven home. Wyatt and his mom were expected to reach Casselton on Tuesday.
“We’re just lucky we’re bringing our kid home in a car in the front seat instead of in a box,” Kauffman told KPNX.
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