Date: July 24, 2017
Contact: Lauren Alley, 406-888-5838
Contact: Kelly Stevens, 406-888-7895
Man Fatally Injured in Fall at Haystack Creek
National Park Service Rangers and Two Bear Air Rescue Provided On-Scene Cooperative Response
WEST GLACIER, MT. - At approximately 6:30 pm on Saturday, July 22, Glacier National Park dispatch received a call from a shuttle bus driver and simultaneously from a visitor with an inReach device that someone had fallen at Haystack Creek. The creek is approximately five miles west of Logan Pass, along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park rangers and Two Bear Air Rescue immediately responded.
Rangers found that a man had fallen approximately 100 feet below the road near Haystack Creek. He did not survive the fall.
The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Robert Durbin of Corvallis, Montana. He was traveling to the park on a vacation with family.
Initial witness reports indicate that Durbin was taking photographs along Haystack Creek on the upper bank of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. At some point, he fell into the creek and was washed through the culvert that goes underneath the road, falling approximately 100 feet below the roadway.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed to traffic in both directions for approximately one hour on Saturday evening while rangers secured the scene of the accident and Two Bear Air Rescue recovered the victim’s body from a ledge below the road.
No suspicious circumstances have been noted, and the investigation is on-going.
Falls are a leading cause of death in Glacier National Park. Park visitors should use caution around all water features, especially waterfalls and lakes. Water can be cold, fast moving, and high at many times of the year, and rocks can be very slippery. There are numerous areas in Glacier’s high country with steep drop offs. Visitors should remain vigilant as they enjoy the park to be aware of their surroundings and areas where falls are possible.
The park extends its deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
