Bright Angel trail death

[Dschur]

Update on the Fatality on the Bright Angel Trail Grand Canyon, Ariz.
Date: March 27, 2008

– Park dispatch at Grand Canyon National Park received a 9-1-1 cell phone call yesterday afternoon of a man found lying unresponsive on the Bright Angel Trail about ¼ of a mile below mile and a half house. Jack Mayfield, 72 from Idaho was on a day hike. He and his hiking companion had hiked 4 ½ miles to Indian Gardens and were on their way back up the trail when Mr. Mayfield collapsed. CPR was started by a Good Samaritan after receiving instruction from park dispatch. Park personnel arrived on scene and continued CPR without success. Mr. Mayfield’s body was carried by litter ¼ mile to a helicopter at mile and a half house where it was transported to the South Rim Helibase and turned over to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. An investigation is being conducted by the National Park Service.

[djui5]

Wow that's horrible! Poor guy.

[azbackpackr]

It's too bad, he wasn't terribly old--one of my GC backpacking buddies is the same age. But, on the other hand, how much better to die quick while hiking in the Grand Canyon than hooked up to tubes and wires in a hospital.

[PaleoRob]

how much better to die quick while hiking in the Grand Canyon than hooked up to tubes and wires in a hospital.

Amen.

[Dschur]

Rangers respond to fatality on Bright Angel Trail
Staff Report, Grand Canyon News



Tuesday, November 10, 2009

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - At approximately 6 p.m. Nov. 9, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center (Grand Canyon's 911 dispatch center) received a report of a man down on the Bright Angel Trail just below "mile-and-a-half house." The reporting party, family members who had hiked ahead of the man, said that when they found him he was not breathing, was unresponsive and his head was bleeding.

While rescue personnel were dispatched to the scene, the 911 operator provided family members with instructions on how to perform CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation). Upon arriving at the scene, park rescue personnel took over CPR, but were never able to revive the patient; and he was declared dead at the scene.

The man has been identified as 63-year-old Joseph Mitchell of Clarkdale, Arizona. His body was retrieved this morning by helicopter via long-line operation and transported to the South Rim helibase where it was transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

[azbackpackr]

Gee, sad thing...I wonder if he was hiking up or down?? Sounds like he was going up?

[Dschur]

Another hiker dies on Bright Angel Trail..

Hiker Fatality on Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon National Park

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Date: June 29, 2014
Contact: Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski, 928-638-7958



Grand Canyon, Ariz.– At approximately 11:30 am the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call reporting CPR in progress just above Three-Mile Rest House on the Bright Angel Trail.

Bystanders initiated CPR and National Park Service personnel responded from up trail and assisted with resuscitation efforts. The National Park Service helicopter was able to divert from another medical call at Indian Gardens and respond immediately to Three-Mile Rest House providing Advanced Life Support resuscitation efforts. All attempts to resuscitate the victim were unsuccessful

The victim is a 62 year old male from Ohio who was hiking out the canyon after completing a commercial river trip. Pending family notifications the identity of the victim is being withheld, once notifications are made the deceased's identity will be released.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service in coordination with the Coconino County Medical Examiner. No additional information is available at this time.

[azbackpackr]

This is sad. I don't think a lot of these people know what they are getting into, hiking off a river trip in June. Why do the commercial outfitters offer this to people from Ohio who are not familiar with Canyon hiking? It seems a bad policy to me. It's one thing for us private boaters to do it, we may (or may not) know what we are getting into. But for commercial outfitters to offer that in summer seems a bit irresponsible to me.

Edit: Misleading news reporting, once again. It states he was hiking out after "completing" a river trip. That misleads the public into the belief that in order to "complete" a river trip you have to hike out in midsummer. This is so not true! He wanted the hike-out option for some reason. Otherwise he would have floated all the way down to Whitmore wash, where they fly people out in helicopters, for most of those trips. He probably did not have time to do that.