Climber Breaks Nearly Every Major Bone in Fall, Survives

New Zealand's Anna Parsons is recuperating after terrifying 80-foot plunge on Half Dome
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 19, 2022 1:48 PM CDT
Climber Breaks Nearly Every Major Bone in Yosemite Fall, but Survives
A view of Half Dome, in California's Yosemite National Park.   (Getty Images/Brandon_Nimon)

Anna Parsons and her climbing partner, Jack Evans, had exciting plans before they headed from their native New Zealand to foreign exchange programs in Canada: The pair, who'd met as marine science students at the University of Otago, were going to fly to the US, then scale some rocks before heading up north. But a heart-stopping 80-foot fall from Yosemite's Half Dome in California left the 21-year-old with nearly every major bone in her body broken, though she's grateful she escaped with her life, reports 9News. Outside magazine details what happened on Aug. 1—two days after Parsons and Evans arrived in San Francisco— as they were attempting an ascent along Half Dome's 2,000-foot-long Snake Dike, a section described as "a rite of passage for all Yosemite climbers," per Adventure Protocol.

At one point during the climb, Parsons got ahead of Evans and realized she'd mistakenly passed a crucial anchor on the rock face, so she tried to descend six feet or so to return to it. That's when her foot gave way, sending Parsons plunging 80 feet. Evans, who was handling the safety rope, was able to somewhat catch her fall, and though he couldn't see her from his position, he could hear from her voice that she was in "an immense amount of pain." He couldn't get to her himself, so he called Yosemite Search and Rescue. A little over 30 minutes later, a paramedic was able to reach Parsons and get her to a spot where she could be loaded onto a rescue helicopter. The reason for that "immense" anguish in her voice was soon made evident.

In addition to cuts on her face and body, Parsons also suffered a punctured lung, a broken spine and pelvis, at least six broken ribs, a shattered fibula, five broken toes on her right foot, and a completely shattered left foot that had had its talus bone ripped out during the fall. Parsons ended up having that foot amputated. Her head, however, remained "completely fine," per a crowdfunding effort for her medical bills, which the site notes exceed $1 million. Parson has her helmet to thank for that. "The helmet she was wearing was completely demolished," Evans tells Outside. "It was extremely lucky that she had it on." Despite her trauma, Parsons was smiling and "cracking jokes" in a California hospital just 24 hours after the fall and talking about recuperating so she can one day get back to climbing. "That's just the kind of person she is," Evans says. More on her ordeal here. (More Half Dome stories.)

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