Woman falls 500 feet to death in Yellowstone Park
2nd fatal accident this year in the Park
June 18, 2006
A 52-year old woman from Michigan slipped and fell 500 feet over a cliff to her death in Yellowstone National Park Saturday morning.
The woman, identified as Deborah Chamberlin from Rockford, Michiganher, was with her husband and two children visiting the park. They had stopped their vehicle at an overlook along the road about three-quarters of a mile north of the Tower Fall area around 10:00 am on Saturday. Chamberlin stepped over a small rock retaining wall to take a photo when she lost her footing, slipped down an embankment and then went over a cliff. She fell about 500 feet, coming to rest near the Yellowstone River.
Her husband flagged down a passing motorist who called 911 for help. Rangers responding to the scene could see the woman through a spotting scope lying immobile on the canyon floor. High, fast moving water prevented rescuers from reaching the woman by raft.
A ranger rappelled down the canyon wall to reach the woman, who was declared dead at the scene. Her body was placed in a litter suspended by cable from a helicopter and flown out of the area Saturday afternoon.
This is the second fatal accident in Yellowstone National Park this year. In February, a woman was killed in a snowmobile accident along the road east of Norris Geyser Basin.
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