By Bill Galluccio
Jun 2, 2021
A hiker died after falling 500 feet while climbing Mount Russell in California s Sequoia National Park. The 56-year-old had reached the summit ridge with his two hiking partners when he lost his balance and began to slip.
As he fell, one of his partners, a 45-year-old woman, tried to grab him, but they both tumbled down the mountainside. The woman managed to break her fall after about 30 feet, but the man plunged off the cliff. The third member of the hiking group used a satellite location beacon to declare an emergency and then called 911.
Rescue crews arrived and managed to pull the woman to safety. She was taken to the hospital, where she underwent surgery for undisclosed injuries. The next day, crews were able to recover the man s body and brought it to a funeral home.
In a release, the NPS said the 56-year-old fell from the summit ridge of Mount Russell and plummeted around 500 feet to his death on Monday while hiking with two others.
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Man plummets 500 feet to his death off mountain, woman falls 30 feet trying to save him
The woman grabbed at the falling man but was dragged down in her rescue attempt.
• 6 min read
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.National Park Service
A Memorial Day hike ended in tragedy when a man lost his balance and plummeted 500 feet to his death off the summit ridge of a mountain and a woman who tried to grab him as he was falling was severely injured after tumbling 30 feet in her rescue attempt.