A woman is recovering after surviving a 150-foot fall at a waterfall site.
According to a Facebook statement from Whatcom County Fire District 14, the incident happened at around 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Racehorse Falls in Deming, Washington.
“Upon arrival, firefighters found a woman who had fallen 50-60 feet, then tumbled another 100 ft down a slippery rock slope to the bottom,” the statement read in part, before revealing the woman suffered “serious injuries” and was transported to the hospital “via a medic unit from the Bellingham Fire Department.”
The Facebook post also detailed the woman’s rescue and included photos of the operation and the height from which she had fallen, along with an image of a warning sign at the attraction that tells visitors they are near a cliff’s edge. “Area below has no other access,” the sign reads.
The incident happened at Racehorse Falls in Deming on September 10, 2024.
Whatcom County Fire District 14/Facebook
“Our crews rappelled down, packaged the patient into a litter, and lifted her out of the canyon,” the statement continued. “Firefighters then carried her out the 1/3 mile trail using our wheeled litter.”
Authorities said this is the fifth “high angle rescue” they have had to undertake at Racehorse Falls this year, but noted this one was the “most serious.”
“Please be extra careful when exploring our wonderful outdoors, especially around the cliff edges,” they added. “We’d like to thank our volunteer firefighters for all their hard work, and we wish the patient a speedy recovery!”
According to NBC News, the woman involved in the incident was 25 years old. Per the outlet, District Assistant Chief David Moe said the woman was stabilized at a hospital in Bellingham before she was transferred to a facility in Seattle.
Her exact condition was unavailable, Moe said, according to the outlet. Whatcom County Fire District did not immediately respond when contacted.
Racehorse Falls is located just over 100 miles north of Seattle and close to the U.S.-Canada border.
