Teen survives 400-foot canyon fall on Washington State Bridge, defying odds

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

Emergency responders rescued the 19-year-old from under the High Steel Bridge, one of the nation's tallest railroad bridges, in Mason County, outside Seattle, on Saturday.

The young man allegedly attempted to descend the steep terrain beneath the structure, despite signs warning people to “stay on the roadway and away from the edges of the gorge” as the area is “dangerous for exploration” .

On Facebook, the Mason County Sheriff's Office posted photos of the two-hour rescue effort that show the teen, whose face is blurred, being pulled from the bottom of the canyon to the top from the bridge by a rescuer.

In another social media post, local firefighters wrote: “Luckily the 19-year-old made it out alive. Many of our rescues are not so lucky. Remember NOT to go down next to the bridge.

West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander told NBC affiliate King 5 that rescuers “get a lot of practice carrying bodies out of here,” noting a ratio of about 20 dead people for every person found alive at the bottom of the canyon.

Tim Ripp, a Mason County sheriff's patrol corporal, told NBC News that between five and seven people fall from the bridge each year.

“We've been telling people to stay off these trails because they're dangerous, but they either haven't seen the warning signs or are ignoring them,” he said.

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