News Release

Fatal Accident at Park Overlook

You are viewing ARCHIVED content

This content was published online before January 20, 2025. Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED, and links may not work. For current information, visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: November 25, 2020
Contact: Dana Soehn, 865-436-1207

At 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24, Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers responded to a Chimney Tops overlook along Newfound Gap Road after receiving a report that a man fell approximately 50 feet below the embankment. Wesley Brandon Stedham, age 48, of Warrior, AL fell after stepping down a steep slope below the overlook for a photograph. Stedham suffered severe head trauma and passed away as a result of these injuries.
Park rangers and members of the park's technical Search and Rescue team established a rope and pulley system to reach the patient and bring him up to the overlook. 
No additional details are available at this time.
 

--NPS--
www.nps.gov/grsm
www.Facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS
www.Twitter.com/GreatSmokyNPS
www.Instagram.com/GreatSmokyNPS
www.flickr.com/greatsmokymountainsnationalpark

Tags: fatality, search and rescue

RSS Feed | What is RSS?