Man’s Grand Canyon Death: 400-Foot Fall Of Nevada Man Ruled Accidental, Victim ID’d
Police and officials at the Grand National Park have recovered the body of a man who took a fatal fall on Thursday. On Friday, authorities say the mortal remains of a Nevada man who fell 400-feet to his death during a visit was retrieved. The Grand Canyon fall victim’s death is ruled as accidental at this time, citing an AZ Central news report.
After painstaking efforts to reach the area where a visitor’s body was found, rescue workers recovered the body of a man just off the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Previously, when Inquisitr reported on the park fatality as a result of a fall, the victim remained unidentified. However, according to 8NewsNow, the dead man’s identity is confirmed as Juan Carreras-Soto.
Man falls to his death at Grand Canyon http://t.co/M2rO8ZwDuP
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 1, 2015
Apparently, the 29-year-old man who hails from Las Vegas slipped and fell over the Canyon’s edge about 4:20 p.m. MST. He was visiting the park with his family at the time, according a spokesperson with the National Park Service.
Rangers received reports of a man who had fallen just east of Mather Point. It’s in an area of the Grand Canyon where the visitors center is located and park-goers disembark to catch their first glimpse of area’s charm and beauty. The southern Rim is known as the most popular tour and offers the most options for visitors on day or extended visits, according to the official website.
The Grand Canyon https://t.co/3bRmr6C1fx
— Dominick Mogstad (@D_Mogstad) May 1, 2015
Authorities responded immediately to the area where the man fell. A helicopter crew managed to find Carreras-Soto’s body and made a determination that he had expired. However, due to safety concerns and low lighting conditions from the late evening hours, recovery efforts were suspended. The next day, the man’s body was recovered.
The Coconino County medical examiner and Park Service officials have ruled the fall accidental. However, the death investigation is still ongoing.
Records show that the popular destination logs, on average, about a dozen or more deaths annually. Although the park receives about 5 million visitors per year, even one reported death is unsettling. Among the numbers of fatalities, only about two or three result from falls. Others are from suicides, natural causes, drownings, medical distress and vehicular accidents.
In 2014, the Canyon realized a sharp spike from average rates of park deaths. Then, 24 people died at the Grand Canyon. The man’s death this week marks the second fatality so far this year. Back in February, a 73-year-old man collapsed and died during a hike near the North Kaibab Trail.
[ Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]
