At Least Seventh Death Recorded Along Colorado River in Grand Canyon

At least the seventh death since late July has reportedly been recorded at the Grand Canyon.

Near River Mile 137 on the Colorado River / Mandatory Credit - NPS Photo/E. Whittaker

The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Unfortunately this summer, the gorgeous area has turned into a death trap for visitors.

As shared by the National Parks Services in a release, At approximately 5:30 am on September 7th, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center was contacted about a fatality that occurred at Poncho’s Kitchen. That is located along the Colorado River near mile 137.

The victim was identified as Patrick Horton, who is 59 years old and hails from Salida, Colorado. He was part of a non-commercial river trip on its 10th day. People who he was doing the trip with found his body.

Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office and the National Parks Service are working together on an investigation, but no other information about the incident has been released. The cause or manner of death was not revealed yet either.

Horton’s unfortunate death is at least the seventh that has occurred in the national park since July 31st. Other causes of death are flash floods, a capsized boat, BASE jumping gone wrong and a person falling off an overlook.

Precautions are in place to make sure that people can enjoy their experience as safely as possible, but accidents do happen. Doing research and being prepared for a trip are imperative to having fun and returning home safely.

Over the last 10 years, the Grand Canyon has averaged about 17 deaths annually. That seems like an exorbitant amount, but when taking into consideration just how many people visit the park, it isn’t in the top 10 of unsafest to visit.

As shared by Tim Stelloh of NBC News, Joëlle Baird, a spokeswoman for the park, said, “Extreme heat and increased visitor activity during the summer present challenging conditions at the park, increasing the number of dangerous incidents and deaths.”

Photographing has been categorized as the most fatal recreational activity at the Grand Canyon. That can likely be attributed to people looking to get the perfect picture and going outside of the measures installed to keep people safe.