Woman Escapes With Life After 150-Foot Fall at Racehorse Falls in Washington

A woman was lucky to survive after falling and tumbling down a 150-foot drop at Racehorse Falls.

A woman tumbled and fell more than 150 feet down an embankment at Racehorse Falls, Wash., on Tuesday. / Mandatory Credit - Whatcom County Fire District 14

“High angle’ rescues are becoming somewhat commonplace at Racehorse Falls, located near Deming, Washington. Last week, at least the fifth reported incident of “high angle” rescue was needed, per Whatcom News over the weekend.

This time, it was a woman, age 25, who fell 50-60 feet at first. But, she then tumbled another 100 feet before landing at the bottom, according to the Whatcom County Fire District, via Dennis Romero of NBC News.

"Our crews rappelled down, packaged the patient into a litter, and lifted her out of the canyon," the fire district said. "Firefighters then carried her out the 1/3 mile trail using our wheeled litter."

Luckily, the woman was alive when she was rescued, but an exact update on her condition was not yet available.

As shared by Romero, “A Bellingham Fire Department medic unit rushed her to a hospital, it said. District Assistant Chief David Moe said by email Saturday that the woman was stabilized at a hospital in Bellingham before she was transferred to a facility in Seattle.”

The embankment at Racehorse Falls is a very popular destination for hikers. A short trail gives people gorgeous views of the waterfall and winds through a forest.

Descending can have some difficulties given the terrain. It is a rocky, multi-tiered area that can get very slippery because of how often it rains in the area.

Despite the short distance to travel, it can be perilous if the necessary precautions are not taken. From the top of the waterfall to the base is a 169-foot plunge, so the woman may not have reached the top before her accident occurred.

There are warning signs around the cliff for when hikers get close to the edge, saying there isn’t any other access to the bottom.

Beyond the waterfall, there are other things that attract people to Racehorse Falls. Leaf fossils that could be as many as 50 million years old and a steep 90-foot scarp was created by landslides as well.