A woman was rescued Tuesday from a ledge in Point Defiance Park after falling 75 to 100 feet down a steep bluff.
“The person fell, just too close to the edge,” Tacoma Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said.
She fell in increments and ended up on a ledge that was about 5 feet wide, he said.
Tacoma Fire was called to the 5800 block of Five Mile Drive at 2:50 p.m., and the rescue was just south of the Narrows Viewpoint. Officials shut down the road as they worked.
The woman was responsive and taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to Tacoma Fire. She appeared to be in her 30s or 40s; Tacoma Fire wouldn’t identify her.
Crews used ropes and pulleys to lift the woman up on a stretcher, along with three rescuers who rappelled down to the ledge to help her. About 20 firefighters were at the scene.
Meinecke said Tacoma Fire responds to that area of the park often for rescues, but that’s generally because someone has been stuck trying to climb the hill as the tide is coming in.
“When you’re enjoying the park, be careful,” Meinecke said. “Watch the tides. Don’t let your pet get too close to the edge.”
The bluff in the area is concave from erosion, Meinecke said, though he didn’t think that was the issue with Tuesday’s fall.
“This is a just a regular trail that we have here,” said Jim McDonald, risk manager for Metro Parks Tacoma. “It’s one that people use.”
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