An 18-year-old was left banged up and sore after a cliff jump gone wrong in Lynn Canyon’s 90-foot pool Saturday.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services members shut down access to the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge Saturday afternoon to pull off a high-angle rope rescue of the teen.
When the rescue team arrived, park rangers were already with the patient.
“He was complaining of an injured back and neck so we gave him the full treatment as a precaution,” said assistant chief Walt Warner. “Full stretcher packaging, spinal immobilization.”
After they hoisted him 40 metres up to the top of the suspension bridge, rescuers handed him over to B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics.
Warner said it’s been a particularly busy summer for people coming into the canyon for recreation but, luckily, the number of rescues required has stayed steady in 2018.
“Our hope is that as the trails and as the rivers become more and more popular … that we keep those numbers down,” he said.
The district has launched an education campaign aimed at dissuading people from cliff jumping, which has claimed more than 30 lives in the last 25 years and left dozens more injured.
“We can’t keep them from jumping over the fences. We just have to make sure they’re aware of the dangers and hope they make an educated decision, opting not to jump,” Warner said.
The teen was not a North Shore resident.
Thrill seeking went badly for someone today @LynnCanyonPark Kudos to the First Responders for a successful rescue from the suspension bridge #warningsignored #NorthVancouver pic.twitter.com/ueaZgdQsBm
— Tammy Greidanus (@activecitizenAB) August 19, 2018
