Teen survives 400-foot fall in canyon near Shelton Bridge

SHELTON, Wash. — A 19-year-old man narrowly escaped death in Mason County over Memorial Day weekend after falling down a 400-foot canyon.

This is according to the Mason County Sheriff's Office, which says the man fell while trying to pass under the High Steel Bridge.

Footage shows a rescue team sending a harnessed firefighter off the bridge on a rope.

“I hooked him up to a harness and brought him all the way back,” said Fire Chief Matthew Welander of West Mason Fire.

Welander said the teen did what many others have done in the past: walk under the bridge into the steep canyon below.

“He was walking on washed out terrain that a lot of people use, and it kind of became a trail. It's not a trail. It's washed out terrain, it's too steep,” Welander said. “And I ended up sliding down to the river.”

Miraculously, the teenager survived and suffered only minor injuries.

“He was incredibly lucky,” Welander said.

Rescuers said the area is known for its deceptively steep terrain and the number of lives it takes each year.

“It’s extremely dangerous,” Welander said.

The area has a few scattered warning signs, including one that reads: “Warning: Areas around the High Steel Bridge are slippery, steep and dangerous for exploring.”

But officials said a lack of respect for nature was part of the problem.

“People come here just to be stupid,” Welander said.

One reason Saturday's rescue went so well, Welander said, is because they have a lot of practice.

“We practice a lot getting bodies out of here,” Welander said. “It’s probably a 20-to-one ratio.”

He said the ratio is about 20 dead for every person found alive at the bottom.

Rescue teams have to go there about three to five times a year, depending on the year, according to Welander.

Like many areas with high bridges, lifeguards respond to suicides from time to time, Welander said. But the vast majority, “these are people who wander under the bridge where they think it's safe, they lose their footing, slip and then fall.”

Rescues are expensive. Not only are they a drain on resources, but they are also dangerous for rescuers.

“Two of our rescuers were actually deputy sheriffs, and we ended up flying away because they were injured,” Welander said.

One of those deputies, Cpl. Tim Ripp with the Mason County Sheriff's Office said August 2020 was a time he will never forget. That's when he and his colleague almost died while trying to recover bodies from the bottom of the canyon.

“A rock fell and hit another deputy in the face. He fell off the cliff and I caught him and ended up getting hurt,” Ripp said. “My spine suffered numerous injuries. It took 18 months of recovery, during which I lost all feeling in both arms.”

Ripp said he feels back in arms now, but he still has a strong warning for others.

“Don’t go off trail, I can speak from experience, your loved ones will appreciate you not going off trail,” Ripp said.