A B.C. fire department is urging people to play it safe after an intoxicated cliff jumper was rescued on Saturday (July 6) from the same canyon where someone drowned just three days earlier.
North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Chris Byrom said a man in his early 20s had been drinking at Lynn Canyon throughout the day Saturday when he decided to jump off the cliffs and into the water. In his intoxicated state, the young man wasn't able to get himself out and had to be rescued by several park rangers who were in the area.
Byrom said his team was called in just after 8 p.m. and helped transport the cliff jumper from the park and into an ambulance. He didn't sustain any serious injuries as far as Byrom is aware, but was put on a ventilator.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday evening, the fire department was also called to the area by park rangers after they discovered a swimmer in distress. That man was not as lucky and was pulled from the water unresponsive. He was later declared dead.
Byrom said they're called out to Lynn Canyon frequently during the summer months, particularly when it's hot out and people are looking for water to cool off in. He said that drinking is an added risk, but that even without it people regularly injure themselves in the area.
“It's a pretty treacherous place. It's not illegal to cliff jump but its certainly a dangerous activity.”
Byrom said he hopes people visiting the canyon going forward take the time to think through their decisions.
According to the BC Coroner's Service, there are an average of 78 drowning deaths in B.C. each year, and the highest proportion of those occur in July. The largest percentage of deaths are among people aged 19 to 29. The coroners service also found drugs and/or alcohol were a contributing factor in 39 per cent of all drowning deaths.
