Teen survives 100-ft fall at Grand Canyon’s North Rim in North Dakota.
13-Year-Old Boy Survives Terrifying Fall at the Grand Canyon
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.—In a heart-stopping incident during a family trip, 13-year-old Wyatt Kauffman from North Dakota miraculously survived a nearly 100-foot fall at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
According to authorities, Wyatt slipped on a cliff at the Bright Angel Point trail, plummeting down the steep drop. It took emergency crews a tense two hours to rescue him from the treacherous terrain.
The teenager was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital, where he received treatment for multiple injuries, including nine broken vertebrae, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, a concussion, a broken hand, and a dislocated finger.
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Recalling the terrifying moment, Wyatt shared, ”I was up on the ledge and was moving out of the way so other people could take a picture. 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.”
Rescue crews had to bravely rappel down the cliff to reach the injured boy and carefully transport him out of the canyon in a basket.
After regaining consciousness, Wyatt found himself in the back of an ambulance, then a helicopter, and finally on a plane to the hospital. “I just remember somewhat waking up and being here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brian Kauffman, Wyatt’s father, was in North Dakota when he received the news of his son’s fall and subsequent rescue. Expressing his gratitude, he said, “We’re extremely grateful for the work of everyone. Two hours is an eternity in a situation like that.”
Wyatt and his mother were on a trip to visit national parks when the accident occurred. Thankfully, Wyatt was discharged from the hospital and is now on his way back home to Casselton, North Dakota.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Mr. Kauffman said, “We’re just lucky we’re bringing our kid home in a car in the front seat instead of in a box.”
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