Hiker dies after falling in Sequoia National Park, National Park Service says
A San Jose man’s body was retrieved Tuesday after he fell near the eastern boundary of Sequoia National Park on Monday, the National Park Service announced.
The 56-year-old man fell approximately 500 feet from the summit ridge of Mount Russell while hiking in a three-person group, the release from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks stated.
A 45-year-old woman from Milpitas grabbed the man as he lost his balance and also fell, but she was able to self-arrest approximately 30 feet down.
The third member of the party used a satellite device emergency locator beacon to declare an emergency and call 911.
The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks helicopter and other rescuers were already in the area responding to an unconscious hiker from the Big Five Lakes area. The search-and-rescue team and a helicopter from Yosemite National Park responded to the Mount Russell emergency.
The Yosemite technical short-haul team rescued the injured woman from the ledge and took her to a Bishop hospital. She was later flown to a Reno hospital for surgery.
Prior to the rescue, the Yosemite team confirmed the man died in the fall.
The National Park Service reported that it responded to eight separate search-and-rescue incidents over the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 5:57 PM.
