Current:Home > InvestNorth Dakota teen survives nearly 100-foot fall at North Rim of Grand Canyon-LoTradeCoin
North Dakota teen survives nearly 100-foot fall at North Rim of Grand Canyon
View Date:2024-12-23 16:37:51
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — A 13-year-old North Dakota boy has survived a fall of nearly 100 feet at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during a family trip.
Authorities said it took emergency crews two hours to rescue Wyatt Kauffman after he slipped on a cliff Tuesday and plunged the nearly 100 feet (30 meters) at the Bright Angel Point trail.
The teenager was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital for treatment of nine broken vertebrae plus a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, a concussion and a broken hand and dislocated finger.
“I was up on the ledge and was moving out of the way so other people could take a picture,” Kauffman told Phoenix TV station KPNX. “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,” he added.
Rescue crews had to repel down the cliff and get the injured boy out of the canyon in a basket.
“I just remember somewhat waking up and being in the back of an ambulance and a helicopter and getting on a plane and getting here” to the hospital, said Kauffman, who lives in Casselton, North Dakota.
Brian Kauffman was in North Dakota when he heard about his son’s fall and rescue.
A National Park Service search and rescue team set up a rope rescue down to the steep and narrow trail and raised the teen safely to the rim.
“We’re extremely grateful for the work of everyone. Two hours is an eternity in a situation like that,” Brian Kauffman said.
He said Wyatt and his mother were on a trip to visit national parks when the Grand Canyon fall occurred.
Brian Kauffman said his son was discharged from the hospital Saturday and was being driven home. Wyatt and his mom were expected to reach Casselton on Tuesday.
“We’re just lucky we’re bringing our kid home in a car in the front seat instead of in a box,” Brian Kauffman told KPNX.
veryGood! (354)
Related
- Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
- Mysterious 10-foot-tall monolith that looks like some sort of a UFO pops up on Welsh hill
- Mindy Kaling Shares Surprising Nickname for 3-Year-Old Son Spencer
- Hunter Biden trial on felony gun charges tentatively set for week of June 3
- Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
- A critical Rhode Island bridge will need to be demolished and replaced
- Oil tanks catch fire at quarry in Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC
- How well does Beyonce's Cécred work on highly textured hair? A hairstylist weighs in
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- Hunter Biden trial on felony gun charges tentatively set for week of June 3
Ranking
- See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
- Want to coach your alma mater in women's college basketball? That'll be $10 million
- Can you retire for less than $1M? Not in these states: Priciest states to retire
- Regina King reflects on her son's death in emotional interview: 'Grief is a journey'
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- Philadelphia’s population declined for the third straight year, census data shows
- UNRWA says Israeli strike hit Gaza food aid center, killing 1 staffer and wounding 22 others
- Deion Sanders' unique recruiting style at Colorado: Zero home visits since hiring in 2022
Recommendation
-
US Election Darkens the Door of COP29 as It Opens in Azerbaijan
-
Oklahoma State men's basketball coach Mike Boynton fired after seven seasons with Cowboys
-
NCAA women's basketball tournament: March Madness, Selection Sunday dates, TV info, more
-
NFL investigating Eagles for tampering. Did Philadelphia tamper with Saquon Barkley?
-
Tony Hinchcliffe refuses to apologize after calling Puerto Rico 'garbage' at Trump rally
-
Facts about straw purchases of weapons, and what’s being done to stop them
-
The United States has its first large offshore wind farm, with more to come
-
Small businesses are cutting jobs. It's a warning sign for the US economy.