A hiker died after falling 500 feet and a friend was severely injured while attempting to save him.
A friends’ hiking trip in California's Sequoia National Park on Memorial Day turned tragic after two of the group members fell from a ridge of Mount Russell.
According to the National Park Service’s new release, an unidentified man, 56, fell about 500 feet to his death. One of his companions, an unidentified woman, 45, attempted to grab onto him and pull him to safety.
Unfortunately, this resulted in her falling as well, but she was able to break her fall on a ledge about 30 feet below. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Reno.
A satellite emergency beacon was sounded by another member of their group to denote an emergency before proceeding to call 911 from his cellphone.
The parks have reported responding to eight separate search-and-rescue calls since last week, and expect this summer to continue to have a heightened need for its services.
Because of this, the park officials urge hikers and climbers to be exceptionally cautious.
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