A tourist was hospitalized with serious injuries on Monday after a significant fall while visiting one of the most popular outdoor spots in the Lower Mainland.
Police and other first responders were called to the scene in Lynn Canyon Valley around 12:30 pm after receiving reports that a tourist had fallen off a cliff.
According to the RCMP, the American woman in her 50s, who was part of a group tour being led by a guide, fell around 30 metres into Lynn Creek.
A debrief from North Shore Rescue (NSR) says it happened in the area of the 90-foot pool, which is near the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, and the woman fell after leaving the trail for a better view of the canyon.
Unfortunately, the debrief explained, her efforts to get a better picture led to her slipping on the edge of the cliff, falling a “significant vertical distance to the canyon floor” and “suffering very serious injuries.”
District of North Vancouver firefighters were the first to rappel into the canyon and they were able to provide initial care to the woman and stabilize her for extraction.
“Given the extensive and serious nature of her injuries, they called NSR for a helicopter extraction to enable rapid access to a higher level of medical care,” the NSR debrief noted.
NSR responded with its partners at Talon Helicopters, using a full-length winch to descend two rescue technicians, both emergency room physicians, into the deep canyon.
They packaged the woman into a flying stretcher, winched her to safety and transported her by air to waiting paramedics crews.
She was rushed to Lions Gate Hospital and treated by the trauma team before being transferred to Vancouver General Hospital for further care.
No further information was provided on her condition, but police continue to investigate the incident.
“We are appealing to any witnesses who may have seen the incident or captured it on their phone,” said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak, who confirmed the incident happened near the north side of the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. “Police are investigating to gain a better understanding of what happened leading up to the incident.”
Anyone who was in the area early Monday afternoon and witnessed the incident, or anyone with relevant video footage, is urged to contact the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311.
