Safety measures at Victor Falls Park keep being vandalized, Bonney Lake officials say
Ten months after a man fell to his death at Victor Falls Park, Bonney Lake officials’ efforts to deter similar tragedies are being hampered by vandals.
A month ago, the city added temporary fencing to discourage people from attempting to access the waterfall, administrative services director Woody Edvalson said.
The two 25-foot-long temporary fences were meant to fill gaps between a permanent metal, waist-high barrier that follows the trail. As of Sept. 18, the temporary fencing had been pulled down. Edvalson said the city would replace it in an effort to keep visitors from unsafe areas of the park.
Previously, Bonney Lake tried other deterrents, like caution tape and signs. All the measures have been vandalized, Edvalson said.
The temporary fence could be replaced by a more permanent structure.
“The city continues to consider if additional measures will be implemented,” Edvalson said.
In November 2019, Stephan Hair, 56, fell at the falls and died from his injuries. A 19-year-old girl injured her leg after a 50-foot fall in March, according to East Pierce Fire & Rescue.
Bonney Lake estimates first responders are called to the park at least once a year by people who have either fallen or reached the bottom of the steep ravine and been unable to climb out, Edvalson said.
Hair’s widow, Jane Hair, told The Puyallup Herald recently she doesn’t think her husband would have wanted to see a fence obscure the view of the falls.
“It’s not going to keep the kids out,” she said. “It’s beautiful there. He would be upset if they fence it because of him. For Steve, it was an accident.”
The pair had been together since they were teens. Stephan Hair worked at Boeing, where he painted planes. He enjoyed all things soccer and coached hundreds of children in Federal Way before the couple moved to Bonney Lake in 2014, Jane Hair said.
On the day he died, he’d left for a birthday party. A couple hours later, police knocked on the door of the Hair residence to see if someone had used his car.
“That’s when I knew,” she said.
Police and Jane Hair believe Stephen Hair maneuvered around the permanent barrier to climb down, and slippery rocks caused him to lose his balance.
