Visitor Drowns In Mount Rainier National Park Creek

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Visitor Drowns In Park Creek

On July 4th, a man was intentionally sliding down a slope in a controlled manner with his son in the Edith Creek area of the Paradise meadows when he broke through a snow crust over the creek and fell below the surface of the snow. He was the swept about 30 feet down the creek, still underneath the snow. His son immediately went for assistance at Paradise. A Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated group training in the area responded and was first on scene. They found the man in the water with his face submerged. 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 ALS air ambulance was called in to fly him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Mount Rainier staff and RMI guides successfully and safely executed a highly complex rescue that was both time critical and hazardous with specific attention to managing risks to all rescuers throughout the entire operation.