North Dakota

Casselton teen recovering from Grand Canyon plummet

Published

on


CASSELTON, N.D. — Wyatt Kaufman was on the lip of the Grand Canyon when he moved over to let others get a look at the chasm.

That’s when he slipped and fell.

He doesn’t remember anything after that until he woke up in an ambulance hours later.

The 13-year-old from Casselton

Advertisement

told KPNX-TV, an Arizona TV station,

that he understands it took about two hours for rescue crews to reach him and lift him to an area where he could be placed in an ambulance.

Members of the Grand Canyon National Park’s Search and Rescue team on Tuesday, Aug. 8, as they work to help Wyatt Kaufman, of Casselton, North Dakota, who fell an estimated 70 to 100 feet from the north rim of the canyon.

Contributed / National Park Service

Advertisement

The fall happened Tuesday, Aug. 8.

Wyatt spent the next several days in a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, the hospital released Wyatt, and his father, Brian Kaufman,

let well-wishers know via Facebook posts

that Wyatt was heading back to North Dakota.

Advertisement
Wyatt Kaufman, of Casselton, North Dakota, survived a 70-to-100-foot fall from the rim of the Grand Canyon on Aug. 8, 2023. Wyatt’s father, Brian Kaufman, said his son was released from a Las Vegas, Nevada, hospital Saturday, Aug. 12, and was heading home.

Contributed / Brian Kaufman

Wyatt told KPNX-TV he was on a ledge on the North Rim of the canyon when he moved out of the way to allow other visitors a good view of the natural wonder.

He said he lost his hold on a rock and toppled off the ledge.

Advertisement

According to the KPNX-TV report, Wyatt’s injuries included nine broken vertebrae, a concussion, ruptured spleen, collapsed lung, broken hand and dislocated finger.

A statement released by the National Park Service

said the teen fell between 70 to 100 feet when he toppled from the popular Bright Angel Point Trail, which the Park Service described as “exposed, narrow, and surprisingly steep.”

The Park Service warned that all visitors should stay on designated trails and walkways and remain at least six feet from the edge of the rim at all times.

In August 2022, a 44-year-old man died after falling over the edge on the North Rim near Bright Angel Point, according to the Park Service, which said the man was off-trail when he accidentally fell approximately 200 feet below the rim.

Advertisement

Brian Kaufman said Saturday night that Wyatt and his mother, Carol, who is Brian Kaufman’s ex-wife, were on a trip to visit national parks when the fall happened.

He said Wyatt and his mother are driving home because doctors would not allow Wyatt to fly due to his injuries. They expect to be back in Casselton by some time Tuesday.

Brian Kaufman said his son’s survival was beyond a miracle, given all he went through.

Wyatt, he said, was not a candidate for a helicopter retrieval, so rescuers rappelled down the canyon face to reach him and then lifted him back to the canyon rim using a basket.

From there, Brian Kaufman said his son was taken to a helicopter, which flew him to an airplane that then took him to Las Vegas.

Advertisement

At that point, Wyatt was placed on another helicopter, which took him to a children’s hospital, according to Brian Kaufman.

“There were a lot more steps to it than what’s been reported,” he said.

I’m a reporter and a photographer and sometimes I create videos to go with my stories.

I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead and in my time with The Forum I have covered a number of beats, from cops and courts to business and education.

Advertisement

I’ve also written about UFOs, ghosts, dinosaur bones and the planet Pluto.

You may reach me by phone at 701-241-5555, or by email at dolson@forumcomm.com.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Trending

Exit mobile version