Dramatic video has been released of the risky rescue of a California man who fell 30 feet, breaking his back, at Yosemite National Park Sunday.
Rock climber Blake Parkinson, 26, was at the most challenging section of the Higher Cathedral Spire, which stands at 600 feet and is located in the heart of the park when something went wrong causing him to plummet nearly three stories onto a narrow ledge, according to CBS News.
Parkinson was on an Easter hike with his friend Ben Tomsky when the accident occurred. Tomsky said usually after a fall, the person will yell out that they are OK. When he didn’t hear anything from Parkinson, he immediately called 911.
“I was happy to see he was alive but he was clearly very, very badly injured,” Tomsky told CBS. “He was in pretty bad shape.”
Footage shows a California Rescue Patrol helicopter spotting Parkinson and the crew determining the best way to get close to the ledge without having the chopper’s blades hit the rocks.
Rescuers then used a basket to lift Parkinson from the rock’s ledge into the helicopter, but they weren’t convinced he was going to survive until he gave them a thumbs up.
The experienced climber, who was wearing a helmet, fractured his back. Doctors said that he was still able to move his arms and legs, ruling out possible paralysis.
“The Yosemite Search and Rescue are the best in the world at what they do,” Parkinson told CBS. “I have the utmost respect for their skills and their training. I’m just extremely grateful to have them help me out.”
Accidents happen frequently at Yosemite National Park due to its extreme sporting popularity with about 100 people getting injured each year. Most recently, a 20-year-old University of Tennessee student died in March after a tragic long-boarding accident at the park.
Despite his injury, Parkinson said it couldn’t have happened at a better place.
“If you’re ever going to get injured rock climbing, Yosemite Valley is probably the best place to do that.”