Wyatt Kauffman, 14, somehow pulled through after falling 100 feet into the Grand Canyon while visiting the famous North Rim with his family.
The disastrous Tuesday encounter left the young explorer with serious wounds, but he overcame the odds to live.
According to reports, Wyatt, an unintentional hero, accidentally caused the accident when he moved aside so that other tourists could photograph the beautiful majesty of the canyon.
He was unaware that a dangerous cliff edge was nearby, and his fleeting loss of grasp caused him to plunge to the ground. His tenuous hold on a rock fell way, sending him flying downwards against the laws of physics.
The harrowing ordeal prompted a swift response from emergency crews, who faced a treacherous two-hour race against time to rescue the teenager.
The Bright Angel Point trail, the site of the accident, became a scene of high-stakes drama as rescue personnel abseiled down the cliff to reach Wyatt.
Wyatt’s injuries painted a grim picture – nine broken vertebrae, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, a concussion, a broken hand, and a dislocated finger.
His resilience, however, remained unbroken. “I was up on the ledge…I lost my grip and started to fall back,” Wyatt recounted, shedding light on the critical moments that led to his plunge.
In his words;
“I was up on the ledge and was moving out of the way so other people could take a picture. I squatted down and was holding onto a rock. I only had one hand on it.
“It wasn’t that good of a grip. It was kind of pushing me back. I lost my grip and started to fall back.
Following the heroic efforts of the rescue teams, Wyatt was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital, where medical professionals embarked on a comprehensive treatment regimen.
“I just remember somewhat waking up and being in the back of an ambulance and a helicopter and getting on a plane and getting here to the hospital,” the teenager added.
The extent of his injuries, often insurmountable for many, was a testament to his unwavering spirit. His father, Brian Kauffman, who received the heart-wrenching news while in North Dakota, expressed profound gratitude for the rescuers’ relentless efforts.
“We’re extremely grateful for the work of everyone. Two hours is an eternity in a situation like that,” Mr Kauffman said.