Hiker Dies After Plunging 60 Feet At Starved Rock State Park

UTICA, IL — A 24-year-old Indiana man fell to his death Saturday afternoon at Starved Rock State Park. Authorities said the man, whose name was not immediately released, was hiking with a friend when he slipped and fell 60 feet into Pontiac Canyon at around 2:30 p.m., according to the Illinois Valley News Tribune.

Utica firefighters and EMTs reportedly spent about 20 minutes performing CPR on the Schererville man. He was pronounced dead at 4:02 p.m. The fall is reportedly the first death at Starved Rock this year, but an Orland Park man was seriously hurt in March when he slipped and fell into the park's French Canyon.

Conservation police told the News Tribune that the Indiana man was hiking with a female friend and was about 30 feet off the trail in a restricted area when he fell. The 24-year-old was reportedly near the top of a trickling waterfall when he fell.

Also read: Orland Park Man Seriously Injured After Fall at Starved Rock

Photo via Patch File / Tim Moran