The Fourth of July Weekend, brought sobering news to two families who lost loved ones to Waterfall Accidents in Lake Tahoe and Yosemite
Lake Tahoe Ca – July 6, 2023 – Over the 4th of July weekend news broke of two tragic accidents that were avoidable in Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. With extremely high water in the Sierra Nevada, summer has been an exciting adventure to places we love but look completely different then we have ever seen. In Lake Tahoe eagle falls in Emerald Bay is a common attraction that draws visitors every day by the thousands. Unfortunately, most visitors do not have a healthy respect for the dangers of lower Eagle falls and tragically it seems annually someone loses their life or is seriously injured trying to get that perfect photograph.
California authorities have been warning the public that rivers, streams and lakes are extremely dangerous this year after an unusually wet winter. River levels usually begin dropping, and water temperatures rising, by the start of summer – but this year is different, officials say. California saw one of the largest snowpacks on record, and the buildup is continuing to fill waterways with freezing flows. A heatwave last weekend hastened the melt, releasing a rush of frigid water.
Ahead of the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service warned: “River water temperatures are deadly cold. Think twice before you jump into local rivers without a life jacket. It may be the last decision you ever make.”
Unfortunately for two victims the circumstances of the weekend met with tragic endings.
A Press Release was issued by the South Lake Tahoe Sherriff Department:
A woman visiting Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe with friends on July 4 has died after falling over Eagle Falls, according to El Dorado County Sheriff Capt. Michael Lensing.
Lensing said it appears the woman was with friends when they parked outside the Eagle Falls parking lot, crossed the highway, and went over the guard rail to see the top of the falls. He said the woman was getting her photo taken when she slipped and went over the edge of the falls.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue located the woman deceased.
Hometown and name will not be released until the next of kin has been notified.
Yosemite Hiker Falls To his Death in Chilnualna Falls
Hayden T Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement. The 24 year old backpacker apparently was trying to cool off near the river shore when he slipped and was carried away by the river over the falls before his father could rescue him.
Klemenok’s parents told the San Francisco Chronicle that his friends said the day of the accident was hot and the 24-year-old from Petaluma, California, had got down on all fours to wet his face, but he slipped and went into the water.