A 59-year-old backpacker out with two friends fell 30 feet down a 40-degree slope then off a 20-foot drop into a stream bed near Tapeats Cave of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.
The man, Nic Korte, suffered a broken pelvis, broken arm, a head injury and multiple cuts and bruises. One of Korte’s companions was his son-in-law who happened to be a firefighter in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Korte’s son-in-law ran 10 miles in two hours to get help. He came across a river group who had a satellite phone and called for help. Because sunset was looming, a helicopter was brought in to transport rescuers to the scene. There was no place to land, so the chopper dropped off the rescuers nearby and they were forced to hike to the scene.
The rescuers brought gear and monitored Korte in the canyon overnight. The next morning, another chopper was brought out and evacuated Korte from the canyon. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. His current condition is unknown.
Read the press release here.
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