On the 26th of February, 1919,
the Grand Canyon in Arizona officially became the 15th National
Park of the United States of America. The canyon - actually a gorge of the Colorado
River - and the many tributary canyons which surround it, are mostly comprised of extremely
rugged and sheer terrain, although areas along the North and South Rim have been maintained
and cultivated for the purposes of tourism. Dangers abound within the canyon itself, but even
from well-maintained tourist areas on the rim it is surprisingly common for people to fall to their
death, often in ways that completely defy belief. National Parks in America are protected areas
of wilderness selected for their natural beauty, their unique geology and ecosystems, and for the
abundant opportunities for hiking, exploring, and other recreation that they offer. The Grand
Canyon National Park is among the most popular, and is indeed considered to be one of
the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Millions of people visit the Grand
Canyon National Park each year, most of them without incident. They come to
see the mind-bendingly vast gorge itself, to hike some of the many trails within it, to
observe ancient rock art and geological formations and sometimes to enjoy river rafting
or helicopter flights over the canyon. To a casual visitor the idea that someone might
fall from the rim into the canyon itself can seem absurd. The gorge is so vast, so unmissable, and
so obviously hazardous that it seems only logical that it should inspire caution in all those who
venture close to it... and yet records exist of more than 50 falls, the majority fatal, over
the course of the National Park's existence. Most of these falls occurred not in
remote areas off the beaten path, but instead at popular, busy viewing areas.
Specifically because of the high number of visitors many of the most popular sightseeing
areas have been fitted with railings or walls as well as highly-visible signs warning tourists
to stay on the trails and away from the edge. To further mitigate the danger every visitor to
the National Park is given either a pamphlet or a verbal warning describing the most prominent
risks to life. Rangers patrol on a regular basis, speaking to visitors whenever they can to
curtail any dangerous behavior... and yet still, despite all of this, falls do occur. Three causes
predominate when it comes to falls from the rim. First and foremost people tend to fall when
trying to take, or pose for, striking photographs. While death in pursuit of a selfie might
seem like a relatively modern phenomenon, the first fall of this kind occurred at a
surprisingly early point in the canyon's history. On the 22nd of March, 1925, 40-year-old Lewis
W Thompson was attempting to take a picture of himself standing on the rim of the canyon. While
stepping to one side to better frame his picture he lost his footing and plummeted to his death. Since then dozens of other tourists have also
passed away in pursuit of the perfect photograph. Among them is 20-year-old John Eric Hastrick. On
the 27th of April, 1981, Hastrick was attempting to take a photo not of the canyon but of the
Bright Angel Lodge hotel on the South Rim. Seeking a better angle, he
clambered over a guardrail and, with his camera viewfinder glued to his eye,
walked backwards towards the lip of the abyss. He went over the edge and fell to his death
before he could line up the shot he wanted. Almost two decades later, on the 19th of
August, 1999, 25-year-old Gabriel Comerford was visiting Moran Point on the South Rim.
He wanted a souvenir photo and, being alone, asked some fellow tourists if
they would help him take one. They readily agreed, and Comerford handed them
his camera. He then clambered over the guardrail, walked out onto a narrow precipice, lost
his footing, slipped down a rocky slope and fell into the void. Not knowing what else
to do, the tourist with his camera used it to take several photographs of Comerford's final
moments - not the souvenir he would have wanted. Many other people have also fallen victim to the
desire for the perfect picture on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Despite this it is interesting to
note that on almost any visit to the Grand Canyon National Park many many visitors can be seen
in almost any popular viewing area traveling beyond the railings, clambering onto precarious
ledges, or taking other incredible risks in order to pose for pictures. The second common
cause of falls from the rim is more nebulous, but relates to the sheer scale of the canyon.
Numerous reports exist of visitors being overcome with dizziness or a sense of vertigo when sitting
on the canyon edge. One striking incident of this type took place on the 9th of March, 1989.
34-year-old tourist Gesela Elixmann took a seat on the very edge of the canyon at Mojave Point on
the South Rim, and enjoyed the spectacular view. When she tried to stand and move away from
the edge, however, she was overcome with dizziness and fell to her death. Just three
days later the same thing happened again. 21-year-old tourist Yuri Nagata was visiting
the West Rim's Second Trailview Overlook as part of a group tour. As they arrived at
the viewing area the tour group leader addressed the group, telling them of the
terrible incident involving Elixmann. Nagata dutifully listened to this cautionary
tale and then immediately walked to the railing, crossed it, and took a seat on the rim of
the canyon. When one of her friends asked her to stand and pose for a picture she, just like
Elixmann, lost her balance and fell into the void. While two identical incidents taking
place so close together is rare, the story echoes throughout the history of the
canyon. Before Nagata and Elixmann there was 21-year-old Elizabeth Hazelhurst who, in 1971,
sat on the rim of the canyon with friends and fatally lost her balance when she tried to stand.
Before her there was 17-year-old Herbert E Kolb who, in 1947, died in exactly the same manner
after watching the sunset from the rim with his girlfriend. In each case the victim took what they
perceived to be a small risk: they sat on the edge of the canyon to take in the view - the very last
view they would ever see. Thirdly, and finally, a small but significant number of falls have been
caused by, quite simply, the desire to show off. On the 28th of November, 1992, 38-year-old Greg Austin Gingrich was visiting the
park with his family. The group were hiking along the South Rim when Gingrich saw an opportunity
to play a practical joke on his teenage daughter. He planned to clamber up onto the low stone wall
that separated the path from the canyon edge, then pretend to lose his balance
and tumble off towards the void. He would then hop down onto a
ledge on the other side of the wall and hunker there for a moment or two - just long
enough to give his daughter a fright - before popping back up and revealing himself to
be unharmed. His prank didn't go to plan. The moment Gingrich landed on the ledge he
lost his footing and toppled over into the canyon proper. He dropped without making a sound,
perhaps too shocked by his fatal miscalculation to even cry out as he fell. The target of his
practical joke - his teenage daughter - was used to her father playing tricks on her. Unaware that
he had actually fallen she carried on up the path, expecting him to follow as soon as
he saw that his joke hadn't landed. She had walked all the way to the car park
and met up with the rest of their group before she realized that anything was truly amiss.
It would be past nightfall before a search and rescue team would find Gingrich's body and fully
confirm that his final prank really had gone too far. Similarly showing off may have been a
factor in another death on the 8th of September, 1993. 51-year-old James Merriman was a Flagstaff
resident who periodically rode his bicycle out to the Grand Canyon in order to crawl
through the railings at popular tourist spots and gather coins from ledges, where
tourists would throw them for good luck. Merriman would often camp in the canyon
during these coin-collecting expeditions, and was known to park rangers. Indeed, just a
week before they had been called to rescue him when he got into difficulty and became
stuck on a ledge while gathering coins. This incident, it appears, did not deter
Merriman from his money-making scheme. On the 8th of September he visited Mather Point
on the South Rim. Having clambered out past the railing and gathered some coins he found
that he had a spellbound audience of tourists. Confident in his abilities, Merriman began
jumping back and forth between two rocks, inviting the watching crowd to take his
picture. His final words were, simply, "Watch me!" No sooner had he uttered them than
he lost his footing and plunged to his death. Again these are just a few
incidents from a catalogue of many. Numerous unfortunate souls - the vast majority
young and male - have suffered fatal falls while demonstrating their nerve and sure-footedness on
the edge of one of the largest chasms on earth. While it may seem improbable that anyone should
fall into the Grand Canyon when the danger posed by it is so evident, it can and does happen. It
is easy to decry the victims of these incidents as foolish, and to lament their lack of sense... but
it is also important to remember that their lives were cut short by a simple lapse of judgment
- a momentary misunderstanding or failure to appreciate the danger before them. In each case
it was a brief and terrible miscalculation, made in a matter of seconds, the consequences of
which consumed the entire rest of their lives.
