Hiker Plunges 500 Feet To His Death In Sequoia National Park; Woman Hurt While Trying To Save Him

In a tragic incident, a hiker plunged 500 feet to his death from a mountain ridge in California's Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks on Memorial Day. A woman who tried to pull him to safety got injured after plummetting 30 feet in her rescue attempt.

A statement from the National Parks Service (NPS) said the victim was part of a three-person hiking group making its way along the summit ridge of Mount Russell Monday. The 56-year-old man from San Jose, California, whose identity has not been released to the public, suddenly lost his balance and fell down the ridge.

The 45-year-old woman from Milpitas, California, attempted to rescue the man but ended up being dragged down herself. However, she managed to self-arrest approximately 30 feet down and save her own life.

The third member of the party used a satellite device emergency locator beacon to declare an emergency and then called 911 from his cell phone, the statement said further.

When the call came, the park's rescue helicopter was nearby, tending to an unconscious hiker from the Big Five Lakes area. The team immediately responded to the emergency.

"The Yosemite technical short-haul team rescued the injured woman from the ledge and transported her to Bishop, where she was admitted to the Northern Inyo Hospital. Later, she was transported by air to a hospital in Reno, NV, where she underwent surgery," the statement added.

The man was declared dead at the scene. His body was retrieved from the Mount Russell area and transferred to a funeral home.

Authorities have not revealed the identities of the late hiker's companions, People said in a report.

NPS' news release added that the parks had responded to eight separate search and rescue incidents over the three-day holiday weekend.

In the same statement, park authorities warned visitors to prepare carefully for the trips. "There is never any guarantee that rescuers will be able to reach you quickly. Understand your own limits, take care of the people in your party, and always be prepared to turn back," they said.

In March, two hikers lost their lives after plunging from an icy mountain cliff in Maine's Acadia National Park. Park authorities said the man, 28, and the woman, 30, both from Rutland, Massachusetts, may have fallen about 100 feet along an ice-covered cliff on Dorr Mountain.