When a large sheet of granite fell from a height of 656 ft from El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a man saved his wife’s life by diving on top of her. The granite sheet measured around 131 ft by 65 ft, falling just before 14:00 PM on Wednesday. Andrew Foster, 32, and his 28-year-old wife, Lucy of Cardiff, Wales, are said to have been scouting the ascent from a trail on El Capitan when it happened.
Wife saved by her husband in Yosemite rock fall
Lucy Foster told her family she only survived because Andrew could see what was happening and shielded her from the worst of the fall.
His aunt, Gillian Stephens, told the Times that his parents, Julie and Dave Foster had traveled from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire to recover their son’s body, adding they are devastated by their loss. Stephens added that the Fosters were completely devoted to each other and that it was a real “love story,” adding that the trip to Yosemite National Park was to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, with both loving outdoor sports.
British climber Andrew Foster's wife says he died saving her from 1,000-ton Yosemite rockfall https://t.co/BlkVqCCWFX pic.twitter.com/eYnJckDBf9
— Bojo Tv (@bojo_tv) September 30, 2017
Scott Gediman, a park ranger in Yosemite National Park said it was a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He added that Lucy was receiving medical treatment for life-threatening injuries in a local hospital and had been informed of her husband’s death.
Thursday sees a second, larger rock fall in Yosemite
Following Wednesday’s fatal rock slide, a second and larger rock fall occurred on Thursday, injuring a man and coating the Yosemite Valley in a huge dust cloud.
As reported in the video by Inside Edition below, Jim and Rachel Evans of Naples, Florida were in their car when the granite cascaded down onto their vehicle, with rocks crashing through their sunroof. Rachel said she thought they would die when it happened, but they survived with only her husband receiving injuries.
As reported by NBC Bay Area, climbers in the area were saddened by the back-to-back rock fall incidents, but they say they know the risks involved in their sport and carry on anyway because they love it so much.
Gedimen said that ultimately climbers have to make their own decisions, hopefully, good ones. Park officials estimated Friday that the second rock slide was much larger than the first, with the slab being almost 400 feet in height and weighing around 30,000 tons.
One experienced climber, Peter Zabor, told NBC that he had just climbed the fallen section on El Capitan on Thursday and was able to capture video of the huge dust cloud. Saying it makes the hairs stand up on his arm just thinking about it, he added that he was incredibly lucky.
