You are here

Home » Woman Falls Into Snow "Sink Hole" At Mount Rainier National Park

Woman Falls Into Snow "Sink Hole" At Mount Rainier National Park

Share
By Kurt Repanshek - June 19th, 2010

A woman received multiple injuries when she fell an estimated 20 feet down into a sink hole created by melting snow at Mount Rainier National Park.

Park officials say the unidentified woman fell about 6 p.m. Friday when the surface of the snow gave way in the Paradise parking lot near the Jackson Visitor Center. A small cavern had been formed beneath the surface by heat from an electrical transformer buried 20 feet below, according to park officials.

The woman fell at least 10 feet onto the transformer, and then onto the ground, "sustaining multiple traumatic injuries," they said.

Climbing rangers at Paradise lowered a rope into the hole, descended, and stabilized the woman. She was raised to the surface shortly before 8 p.m., and then airlifted by helicopter to an Olympia hospital.

Park officials did not release the woman's name, hometown, or her condition.

Comments

Submitted by admin on June 24, 2010 - 7:54pm.

Does the Paradise parking lot really have 20 feet of snowpack in the middle of June or am I missing something?


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.