Seattle U Student Falls 90 Feet Off Mt. Stuart: Fundraiser

CLE ELUM, WA - A Seattle rock climber was severely injured in a 90-foot fall off a cliff at Mt. Stuart last month. Now his friends are trying to raise money to pay for his medical bills.

Jon Watari was repelling down a cliff after a successful 9,000-foot climb. All of a sudden, his repel sling snapped, causing him to fall to the base of the cliff. He was severely injured, with a punctured lung and multiple broken bones.

Rescue crews could not immediately reach Watari due to weather conditions. Watari's climbing partner was able to provide medical assistance until a military helicopter was able to rescue him.

Watari, who is originally from Hawaii, is a Seattle University student studying environmental science. Watari was released from the hospital on Thursday, but he still faces a long recovery. His friends are trying to raise $15,000 via GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills, but had only raised about $2,700 as of Friday morning.

"Still has a long way to go, but Jon is making strides in healing with a positive attitude thanks to encouragement from family, friends and supporters," an update posted Thursday on the fundraiser page reads.

You can visit the fundraiser page here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Watari as a University of Washington student.

Image courtesy GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner