SHELTON, Washington – A 19-year-old boy miraculously survived a 400-foot fall down the side of a canyon near Mason County, Washington’s High Steel Bridge. According to Mason County Sheriff’s Office, the teen sustained minimal injuries form the incident.
A team built with personell from the Mason County Sheriff’s Special Operations Rescue Team, West Mason Fire, and The Mighty Mason 6 conducted the rescue, ensuring things were done safely and successfully.
West Mason Fire reminds individuals to NOT hike down next to the High Steel Bridge, as other previous rescues have turned out a lot worse than this one. According to King 5, the area is marked heavily with warning signs, but rescues still aren’t uncommon in the area. Crews are called into the area about three to five times per year.
Fire Chief Matthew Welander of West Mason Fire told the news station that they find 20 dead for every one person they find alive at the bottom of the canyon. As such, the station gets a lot of practice pulling dead bodies out of the area.
The vast majority of the rescues in the area are from people who lose their footing while messing around or walking around underneath the bridge. In fact, two deputy officers have been rescued and flown out due to injuries in the past.