I am glad this did not happen to any of our visitors. Please be careful out there.
John
"Man dies after plunging down Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park Published: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 6:07 PM Updated: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 9:04 PM By Tonya Sams, The Plain Dealer
SAGAMORE HILLS, Ohio -- A 31-year-old man died Tuesday afternoon after falling from the top of Brandywine Falls, a 60-foot high ribbon of water on Brandywine Creek in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The victim and his friend were sitting at the lip of the falls soaking their feet in the water, and he slipped, said Mary Pat Doorley, a spokeswoman for the national park. The woman he was with also slipped, but she did not go over the edge. She tried to catch her friend, but could not, Doorley said.
Sagamore Hills police received a call about 1 p.m. that the man, whose name has not been released, had fallen from the top of the waterfall. Rescuers recovered the body about 4:30 p.m. Two hikers on the Gorge Trail were at the base of the falls at the time, and one tried to reach the man, but was unsuccessful, Doorley said.
The Summit County Special Response Team and police from Macedonia, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Northfield, Akron and Brecksville, along with Bath Township fire department, assisted Sagamore Hills. The incident remains under investigation.
This is second fatality since the falls became part of the national park, Doorley said. In 1995, a man fell over the boardwalk fence and died.
Brandywine Falls, the highest falls in the region, are on the eastern edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It's one of the most visited spots because of its beauty: the falls are surrounded by evergreens, hemlocks and maple trees and cut through layer of Berea sandstone.
It's accessible through an extensive boardwalk that allows visitors to view it. The falls are often is used by wedding parties for photographs.
The creek is a tributary of the Cuyahoga River.
