Mount Rainier National Park Visitor Dies In Freak Accident At Paradise

Submitted by NPT Staff on July 5, 2012 - 5:45pm

A man enjoying the Fourth of July with his son at Mount Rainier National Park died when a crust of snow covering Edith Creek collapsed and sent him into the icy water, which swept him 30 feet downstream beneath the snow.

The unidentified man and his son were sliding down a slope at Paradise meadows "in a controlled manner" on Wednesday when the snow collapsed, said park spokeswoman Patti Wold. The son went for help, and a Rainier Mountaineering, Inc., group training in the area responded and was first on scene.

"They located the individual in the water with his face submerged," reported Ms. Wold on Thursday. "A complex rescue operation ensued involving RMI guides and National Park Service rangers after risk assessments were conducted. They were able to extract the man, and start CPR. An air ambulance was called in to fly the man to the hospital where he was pronounced dead."

Additional details of the accident were not immediately available.