Teen Survives 400-Foot Fall Down Canyon At Washington State Bridge, Defying Odds

A teenager “sustained only minimal injuries” after falling 400 feet down a notoriously dangerous canyon in Washington state over the Memorial Day weekend, local authorities said.

Emergency services on Saturday rescued the 19-year-old from beneath the High Steel Bridge, one of the country’s tallest railroad bridges, in Mason County, located outside of Seattle.

The young man was reportedly attempting to walk down the steep terrain beneath the structure, despite signage warning people to “Stay on the roadway and away from the edges of the gorge” as the area is “unsafe for exploring.”

On Facebook, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office posted pictures of the two-hour rescue effort that show the teen, whose face is blurred out, being winched from the canyon floor up to the top of the bridge by an emergency worker.

In a separate post on social media, a local fire department wrote: “Luckily the 19 year old made it out alive. A lot of our rescues aren’t so lucky. Remember, do NOT hike down next to the bridge.”

West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander told NBC affiliate King 5 that rescuers “get a lot of practice hauling dead bodies out of here,” pointing to a ratio of about 20 people dead for every 1 they find alive at the bottom of the canyon.

Tim Ripp, a Mason County sheriff’s patrol corporal, said to NBC News that between five and seven people fall off the bridge each year.

“We’ve told people to stay off these trails because they’re dangerous, but people either haven’t seen the warning signs or are disregarding it,” he said.