A hike at Yellowstone National Park turned deadly after a tree fell on a 36-year-old visitor.
The man, who was from Taiwan, the Republic of China, was part of a group of hikers that were hiking the Fairy Falls trail which is north of the Old Faithful area and west of the Grand Loop Road.
In an attempt to get a better view of the Grand Prismatic Spring, the man, who is not being identified until his family can be notified, left the trail and retreated to a tree-covered slope.
That is when the hike turned tragic. While standing on the slope, a dead lodgepole pine tree fell and struck the man on the head, instantly killing him.
Witnesses to the incident headed back down the trail and located two maintenance workers who informed the Yellowstone law enforcement rangers what had happened.
The rangers immediately took action and made their way to the man. The victim was then moved by the park rangers to be transported by helicopter to a nearby medical facility. The rangers tried several times to revive the man, but all of their attempts were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the scene.
The tree that fell on the man was one of the many trees that were killed during the Yellowstone National Park’s 1988 fires. Windy weather conditions were reported by the rangers, and the National Park Service is currently investigating the incident.
Image via Wikimedia Commons