Two days before the upper falls area in Eaton Canyon will be shut down for safety reasons, a hiker was injured after falling nearly 50 feet down the side of a cliff, and it was all captured on video.
The cellphone video taken on Wednesday showed a woman attempting to scale down an embankment when she lost her footing.
Bystanders could be heard screaming as the woman slid 40 to 50 feet down the steep hillside before her leg got caught in a tree branch that stopped her fall.
Entangled in the tree, the hiker waited as a rescuer was lowered from a helicopter and placed her in a safety harness.
Station 32 personnel at Eaton Canyon rescuing female who sustained injuries near 2nd waterfall just days before USFS closes upper area.
— Pasadena Fire Dept. (@PasadenaFD) July 31, 2014
After being lifted from the cliff and into the helicopter, the woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was recovering from her injuries on Thursday.
The incident came just two days before the U.S. Forest Service was expected to shut down the trail to the upper falls due to safety reasons.
“We’re always up there plucking people off the side of the cliff,” Sgt. Phil Barth of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Since 2011, five people have fallen to their deaths and dozens more have had to be rescued.
Violators entering the no access zone beginning on Friday could face a $5,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail.
A popular trail to the lower falls will remain open.
Experienced canyoneers, who use ropes, helmets and other equipment to ensure their safety, are hoping a permit process will allow them back into the upper falls area in the future.
