YNP Concession Employee Falls To Death
An 18-year-old Yellowstone concession employee has died as the result of a fall into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone near Inspiration Point. Park Spokesman Dan Hottle says Maria “Masha” Sergeyevna Rumyantseva of Kaliningrad, Russia was hiking the North Rim Trail Thursday evening with three friends on her first free day in the park when the accident occurred. Hottle says she ventured out off trail onto a loose rock promontory, which quickly gave way underneath her. Yellowstone Rangers responded to a 911 cell phone call received at 5:44 pm and with the assistance of ground spotters and a Teton Interagency helicopter, they observed the woman’s body resting approximately 400 feet down the canyon wall. They concluded that she had sustained non-survivable injuries. Hottle says the park warns visitors not to leave the trails, especially in an area close to the canyon rim. He says the terrain there is very loose and unsupported, and gives way very easily. The young woman’s identity is still being withheld pending notification of her family.
