Mistakes were certainly made, to say the least. A tourist ended up taking a stumble off a steep cliff and falling nearly 30 feet while trying to get a closer view of the Kilauea volcanic eruption.
The 30-year-old tourist was visiting Hawaii from Boston when he decided to visit the Kilauea volcano. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan. While trying to get a better view of the eruption, he tempted fate. He got a bit too close to the sheer cliff edge. He then tumbled from the cliff and fell 30 feet below.
Fortunately for the tourist, a tree broke his fall. He very easily could have fallen "another hundred feet or so to the caldera floor, which could have resulted in his death." The National Park Service reported that he suffered minor facial injuries but didn't experience any other injuries. Still, it sounds like there was a stressful rescue attempt involved.
The Kilauea Volcano
Rangers arrived that night at 9 p.m. to help save the hapless tourist near the Kilauea volcano. They had to rappel down the face of the cliff and hoist him back up from where he fell. It was a high-angle rescue. I could imagine that he was probably scared to death of the tree breaking and falling to his death below.
But he'll get a lifetime story out of the ordeal. Of course, he'll have to explain to others why he was stupid enough to fall from the cliff. The Kilauea volcano has been popular with tourists. Lava has been spewing 1,000 feet in the air. It brings an eerie glow to the evening that attracts people to view the eruption.
Sadly, the tourist didn't have a flashlight that might have prevented the fall. NPS has been understandably stressed about the tourist activity at the the Kilauea volcano. A toddler almost ran to his death back in December after wandering near the cliff edge.
"Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk," the park had warned.
