BAR HARBOR, Maine — The National Park Service continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the July 28 death of a 22-year-old New Hampshire woman who fell 60 feet from the Precipice Trail while hiking up Champlain Mountain in Acadia National Park.
Shirley Ladd, a senior at the University of Maine, was hiking with a friend when she fell and suffered multiple injuries at about 11 a.m. After a difficult, six-hour rescue effort she was airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she was pronounced dead at 5:07 p.m.
“We are continuing to interview potential witnesses,” Ranger Ed Pontbriand said Saturday night. “It appears she was getting ready to ascend a set of rungs affixed to the cliff face, and she either missed a rung, slipped or didn’t grab a rung properly. There are people who heard her screaming as she fell.
“Our investigation is an effort to create a profile of what happened and why it happened,” he said.
Pontbriand said Ladd had climbed about three-fourths of the way to the mountain’s 1,058-foot summit when she fell. He said it took rescuers at least 40 minutes to reach her after being notified by a cellphone call. A paramedic and an emergency room nurse who were hiking on the mountain came to her aid before a LifeFlight helicopter landed on the summit and dropped off two additional paramedics.
“I don’t know that she could have gotten better medical care at the scene,” Pontbriand said. “Those who were there at first did a wonderful job, but they had no tools to work with.”
After dropping off the paramedics, the LifeFlight helicopter returned to Bangor to pick up additional medical staff. After dropping them off, the chopper flew in units of blood from a hospital in Bar Harbor.
“I think the care she received was just a little less than an emergency room could have provided,” Pontbriand said. “They gave her every chance of making it, and every time they thought that she was bottoming out, they’d get a radial pulse, which is a very good sign.”
After reaching Ladd and strapping her to a litter, rescuers used a series of anchors and pulleys to raise her 250 feet up the cliff face to the helicopter waiting at the Champlain Mountain summit. Nearly six hours after her fall, Ladd was en route to emergency care in Bangor.
Pontbriand said injuries are rare on the trail from which Ladd fell, which was dry at the time of her death.
“There is a sign at the trailhead that tells people this is a steep and difficult climb and that they have to be very careful, as people have died hiking this trail,” he said. “It’s not unusual for hikers to be all pumped up about getting to the summit and then, halfway up, they realize it’s too much, and they turn around and come back.”
Bangor Daily News writer Tom Groening contributed to this report.
To all who participated in this rescue, it must be heartbreaking to know you did everything you could and yet the victim was too seriously injured to be saved. None-the-less, it was a HEROIC effort. Thanks to all of you–other hikers, first responders, medical personnel, helicopter pilot, Park staff, and the many many other people who gave so selflessly that day. I hope there is solace in knowing you gave this young woman the best chance she could have had under extremely trying circumstances.
Ms. Ladd’s family, my heartfelt condolences go out to all of you, as well as to friends and coworkers and people who knew her at U. Maine.
Agreed, they all did a fantastic job! I heard that the US Coast Guard was going to fly in but they decided not too, I hope that it is just a rumor-
see
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service
http://www.rescuehelicopter.com.au/Since 1975 the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has grown from a part-time voluntary summer beach patrol to world-class aeromedical search and rescue .. for a better solution.
It seems the unfortunate young woman was undertaking a very risky activity. If they already know people have died attempting the climb, what more do they hope to learn about this accident? Is there a way to make the climb safer for future adventurers? My condolences to the young woman’s family and friends.
My boyfriend tells me he wouldn’t do the Precipice Trail again without a lobster claw, sometimes known as cow tails. It’s a way for climbers to be hooked in the whole way and would prevent any falls from the rungs if used correctly.
I, myself, don’t understand the appeal of such risky hikes. But, thousands of people have climbed Everest despite the number of people who have died trying.
RIP Shirley, won’t be forgotten. My boyfriend hiked the trail not long before her. We will both remember.
there are pleny of places on the trail where a cow tail won’t do any good as there is nothing to hook it too. In my opinion, it would not be worth it. If you are careful, then the trail is fairly safe (before this accident, it had been 27 years with no fatal accidents — and tens of thousands of safe hikers). Of course, accidents can happen.
If they already know people have died attempting the climb, why does this approach remain open to the public?
Because it is agreat climb. My 10 year old caughter did it. It is safe if you pay attention.
Because deaths are very rare. The previous one was in 1985. Since then, thousands of people have climbed the trail without dying.
people die crossing the street, riding their bikes, driving their cars, and eating potato chips on the couch. before this unfortunate accident it had been 27 years without a fatality on this trail and tens of thousands of safe hikers. If one is cautious the trail is fairly safe. It is unfortunate this accident happened, but it is no reason to close the trail.
I don’t suggest closing the trail. I do question why an approach with a 60-foot drop remains open. And yes, it had been 27 years since a fatality. Any idea how many people were seriously injured in that time period?
I guess cars, bikes and chips should not be available to the general public. We should close all the beaches and fill in the Grand Canyon. I’m staying home until those things are done. It’s not safe to leave the house.
when someone is severely injured the golden hour 60 minutes post injury to stablize those 60 minutes were almost up when they reached her . took them 6 hours to get her to bangor .
Just seems too long for a rescue, I feel bad for that woman…and her family.
This is a golden opportunity for someone to start one of these:
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Servicewww.rescuehelicopter.com.au/Since 1975 the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has grown from a part-time voluntary summer beach patrol to world-class aeromedical search and rescue ..
Esp. during the tourist season.
Read the story about the rescue of the Canadian Newfi dog today…seems like they did a better job with the dog than the girl? A dozen people posed for the group photo.
I’m confused…where on the Precipice Trail can you fall 60′? I can’t help but wonder if she was rock climbing on the Precipice rather than hiking the Precipice Trail. The only other thing I can think of is she got way off course.
Watch the video of a climb up this trail. there are a lot of long crossovers to another set of rungs. It isn’t a straight up and down climb, but a lot of sideway’s sections.
Actually, we really don’t know how and where she fell, which rung she missed or why she missed it or slipped off a rung.
I suppose you could use carabiners and a climbing harness to go from lower rungs to upper ones; and require people to get a permit and sign a release form….nothing like 20/20 hindsight.
I’ve been up this trail many times when I lived in Bar Harbor (I used to run up it after work to de-stress), and there are a few spots where you would get banged up if you fell, but 60′ is practically like falling off of Otter Cliffs. There’s also great rock climbing on Precipice just to the left of the parking lot, and there you could easily fall 60′.
I thought that there was an upper section with a steep drop too? But if she fell on the parking lot, why the wait? Or maybe someone got the distance wrong? I’d hate to fall and whack my head on one of those rungs or hand rails.
she fell near the top where there is a switchback and fell down to the trail below. She definitely was not rock climbing. Hope you are enjoying Seattle Ben ;)
The biggest drop on Precipice from rung to mountain side is over 100 feet.
It’s very sad but I have a question as to why the coast guard didn’t get involved aren’t they right there in Bar Harbor? Just curious??
No, they are not.
No, they are in Southwest Harbor, some distance away…..
What’s your point? What could they have done?
The debate over who should or should not be on this difficult trail may go on for some time. If a highly skilled climber with plenty of information as to the risks involved is seriously injured or even killed-that should not be questioned. However-if folks without the neeeded skills, or information that really warns or scares people away is not sufficient-that’s another story. National parks cannot be dotted with warning signs at every dangerous spot-there are far too many.
There is what my wife and I call a “Disney World Mentality” when it comes to safety. So many Americans visit theme parks where they know that they won’t be hurt-even when it’s really scary -that some of that bleeds over to State and National parks. All of us have seen a family from Kansas stand way too close to waves rolling onto the rocks in Acadia or at Schoodic Point. They just simply don’t think someone would let them get hurt.
If anything can be done so as not to repeat this sad event-it should. Hopefully another family will not have to suffer the loss of such a promising young woman.
I’m sure it was not malicious!