Teenager, 19, falls down 400ft canyon while illegally hiking on washed out river bed – and somehow survives

A 19-year-old teenager narrowly escaped death when he fell 400 feet into a gorge while illegally walking on a washed-out riverbed.

The boy, whose name has not been released, walked under the High Steel Bridge in Mason County, Washington state on Saturday.

He was walking through a car wash that many people use, which has become something of a trail, said West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander.

But he warned ‘it’s not a path, it’s a washout, it’s too steep and ended up sliding all the way down to the river.’

When the special rescue operation was alerted to the teenager’s location, a member of the team attached the boy to a harness and used a rope to scale the bridge.

Welander said the boy came out with oonly a few minor injuries and was ‘incredibly lucky’ King5 News reported.

Welander explained that the area is known for its steep terrain that looks deceptive, and unfortunately many have died unaware of the dangers.

“This is extremely dangerous,” the fire chief said.

He “walked through a car wash that a lot of people use, and it became kind of a trail,” West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander said.

The High Steel Bridge is 200 meters long and has a deck 100 meters above the river water. It spans the south fork of the Skokomish River, on the National Forest Servce road, located in the town of Shelton in Macon County

He explains that there are “warning signs” at the bridge that read: “Warning: The areas around the high steel bridge are slippery, steep and unsafe to explore.”

Officials said a “lack of respect for nature is part of the problem.” “People come here just to be stupid,” Welander said, explaining that this puts a strain on their resources, the news station reported.

He said Saturday’s rescue went so well because they had “a lot of experience removing dead bodies” from the area where the teen was rescued.

He said the ratio is about twenty to one: “twenty dead for every person they find alive at the bottom.”

Five to seven people fall from the bridge every year, and the majority die, officials said

The special operations teams go to the site where the teen was rescued about three to five times a year.

In August 2020, Cpl. Tim Ripp of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office said he and a colleague nearly lost their lives during a recovery mission while trying to recover bodies from the canyon floor, King5 News reported.

“There are more recoveries than rescues and they need to get there,” Ripp said.

His advice to others: “Don’t stray from the path.”

Mason County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to the team that assisted in the rescue – West Mason Fire – WA, The Mighty Mason 6 and Mason County Sheriff’s Office

‘The team has worked hard to ensure a safe and successful operation. We are grateful for their quick and professional response,” the post said.

The High Steel Bridge is 200 meters long and has a deck 100 meters above the river water. It spans the south fork of the Skokomish River, on the National Forest Servce road, located in the town of Shelton.