On Wednesday, July 31 at 10:40 a.m., the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a visitor who fell from the rim approximately ¼ mile west of Pipe Creek Overlook.
Responding rangers located the body of Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, of Hickory, North Carolina 400 ft. below the rim.
Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he suffered an accidental fall. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. No additional information is available at this time, the park said in a statement.
Grand Canyon National Park staff encourage all visitors to have a safe visit by staying on designated trails and walkways, always keeping a safe distance of at least six feet (2 m) from the edge of the rim, and staying behind railings and fences at Grand Canyon overlooks.
Besides the risk of falling when getting too close to the rim, Grand Canyon National Park also presents other dangers to visitors. Particularly dangerous are the high temperatures down in the canyon, which claim lives pretty much every year. This summer alone, no fewer than three hikers have died while hiking in the Grand Canyon. You can read more about how people die in national parks here.