A 19-year-old man fell into a 400-foot canyon beneath an iconic Washington state bridge over Memorial Day weekend and survived, authorities said.
The man fell Saturday while trying to pass under the High Steel Bridge, said the Mascon County Sheriff’s Office, one of the tallest railroad bridges in the United States.
It was built by the Simpson Logging Company in 1929 and turned into a road in the 1950s or 1960s, according to the Washington Trails Association (WTA).
“He was walking on washed out land that a lot of people use that has sort of become a trail. It’s not a lead,” West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander told KING 5.
“It’s a washout, it’s too stiff. And he found himself sliding down to the river.
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The teenager has not been identified, but he was only slightly injured.
Footage released by the sheriff’s office shows the teen being rescued by a firefighter with a rope and harness to climb the bridge.
“I hooked him up to a harness and brought him back up to the top,” Welander said.
Authorities have said the area is known for its deceptive terrain, but there is a lack of respect for nature. Near the canyon are a few scattered warning signs, including one that reads: “Warning: Areas around the high steel bridge are slippery, steep, and dangerous for exploring.” »
“We do a lot of practice getting bodies out of here,” Welander said.
“It’s probably a 20 to 1 ratio.”
He noted that rescue teams have to go to the area about three to five times a year to carry out rescues.
“Two of our rescuers were actually deputy sheriffs, and we ended up flying away because they were injured,” he said.
The 685-foot-long truss arch bridge spans the South Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, rising 365 feet above the river, according to the WTA.
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