Teenager Miraculously Survives 400-Foot Fall From Remote Bridge

A teenager miraculously survived a 400-foot fall down a steep ravine in Mason County, Washington.

The unnamed 19-year-old man accidentally fell while hiking in the Pacific Northwest state near the High Steel Bridge, one of the tallest railroad bridges in the United States, on Saturday.

It plunged hundreds of feet into the Skokomish River.

“He was walking on a spillway that a lot of people use, and it kind of became a trail,” West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander told reporters at the scene.

“It’s not a lead. It's a washout, it's too stiff. And [he] I ended up sliding down to the river.

Miraculously, he survived the fall and was rescued by Mason County sheriff's deputies and firefighters during a “safe and successful” two-hour rescue operation in which they scaled the bridge and used a rope and harness to bring him to safety.

The teen was taken to a hospital for evaluation but appeared to have only minor injuries to his arms, according to NBC News.

Chief Welander said the teen was “incredibly lucky” to survive his ordeal.

Officials took the opportunity to once again remind visitors not to hike in the area, no matter how spectacular its forested and mountainous landscapes are.

Sheriff's Patrol Corporal Tim Ripp, who was also part of the rescue mission, said: “We've been telling people to stay off these trails because they're dangerous, but either people don't have not seen the warning signs or they do not heed them.

He estimates that five to seven people fall from the bridge each year, attributing the problem to negligence and a lack of respect for nature.