Preschooler Killed In Grand Canyon Fall

(CBS/AP)  A 4-year-old girl on a vacation trip to the Grand Canyon died Tuesday after slipping off the canyon edge and falling several hundred feet.

The girl fell near Mather Point just before noon and her father immediately scrambled down the cliffs to reach her, National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said.

He started CPR, and a Park Service ranger who rappelled down into the canyon also began trying to resuscitate the little girl. A second ranger was lowered to the site by helicopter and determined the child was dead, Oltrogge said.

The child's body was recovered from a spot about 400 to 500 feet below the rim, Oltrogge said. The area where she fell is a combination of sheer drops of 30 to 50 feet, then slopes leading to more dropoffs.

Oltrogge said the child's death is a reminder to everyone that extreme care needs to be taken at the canyon rim, especially with children.

"It's a tragic reminder of how a family vacation can turn tragic in an instant," Oltrogge said, "Our thought and prayers are with the family."

The girl is from Arizona, but her name and hometown won't be released until Wednesday.

This is the second death sustained from a fall at the Grand Canyon this year, Oltrogge told the Arizona Republic.

A park official said the girl is believed to be the youngest person to die from a fall at the Canyon.

[erasmus6]

"You have no idea if there was a problem with the railings, if the footing was unsafe, etc." posted by thing_again

HELLO!! There are no railings!! There is NO safe footing anywhere, that is why the parents are responsible for not restraining the "4 YEAR OLD CHILD"!!!

[johns-bronco]

I was at the Grand Canyon on the 10th, but not in the same area. Let me tell you how easy it would be for a child to fall off the edge, but a railing system isn''t the answer, why should we go on destroying nature like we have done in the past. Those of us with small children know it is impossible to have total control of your children 24 hours a day. I personally would not take my children there until they are old enough to watch out for themselves and understand these dangers. I think we should focus on the grieving parents who have lost a child, and a father who risked his own life trying to revive his daughter.

[thing_again]

OK, Confucius, what if the parents put child in said car seat, and the seat/restraint malfunctions in a crash? Who are you sending to hell for that one? It is not as simple as ''if A, then B.'' You have no idea if there was a problem with the railings, if the footing was unsafe, etc.

[erasmus6]

"Children, even children who are appropriately restrained in car seats, die in car accidents every day. Are their parents negligent?" posted by mugwump13

If a parent puts a child in a car seat, then obviously they have done their job in trying to protect their child. But if a parent doesn''t put the child in a car seat and something happens to the child, then the parent is responsible. And it is the same if they go someplace that is dangerous like this and they do not restrain the child from roaming on it''s own, then the parent IS responsible.

[thing_again]

I registered for this site JUST so I could notify some of you of your ignorance.

When you, who are passing judgment, find out what the Dad does for a living, you will be ashamed of yourselves.

This family is as much if not more responsibly loving and caring of their children than any parents you will meet. For those of you who are getting your education from your homepage headlines, you may rest assured that you are not properly informed.

By the way, did you know exactly what YOUR children were doing while you were passing the time condemning someone else? If you don''t even have children, then you certainly have no basis for your rebuke.

In other words, to speak to you in a manner that you may better understand: Keep your mouth shut, or you remove any doubt that you are stupid.

[thing_again]

I registered for this site JUST so I could notify some of you of your ignorance.

When you, who are passing judgment, find out what the Dad does for a living, you will be ashamed of yourselves.

This family is as much if not more responsibly loving and caring of their children than any parents you will meet. For those of you who are getting your education from your homepage headlines, you may rest assured that you are not properly informed.

By the way, did you know exactly what YOUR children were doing while you were passing the time condemning someone else? If you don''t even have children, then you certainly have no basis for your rebuke.

In other words, to speak to you in a manner that you may better understand: Keep your mouth shut, or you remove any doubt that you are stupid.

[mugwump13]

Wow.

There are a lot of judgmental and insensitive people on this message board.

To call the parents of the child who died at the Grand Canyon negligent, wantonly irresponsible, or people who deserve all the pain they are going through, is stupid and disgusting behavior.

How dare you people make judgements on these parents when you know nothing about the situation except the bare bones that is given in news reports? You know nothing of what those parents did, of how they behaved, of what really happened to that girl. To jump to the conclusion that they were negligent or are bad people, on a level with child abusers, merely shows the depravity of the people who make these assumptions.

Are the literally millions of parents who bring their children to see an amazing natural phenomenon negligent? Visiting the Grand Canyon is safer than riding in a car; consider that this girl was the second person this year to die at the Grand Canyon. Children, even children who are appropriately restrained in car seats, die in car accidents every day. Are their parents negligent?

It''s far too easy to tell yourself that bad things must only happen because someone did something wrong -- it creates the illusion that you can keep yourself safe all the time. But tragedy can happy to the best of parents, the best of people, anywhere in the world.

How about a little sympathy for these people who are certainly devastated from the loss of their child?

[jesusishere]

bad things happen..there is nuthin you can do, but i would have watched the child a lil closer but sumtimes they leave and u dont even know it..the family is definatley in my prayers

[dixxson-2009]

The couple that lost their child in the hotel room was slightly negligent, one can be inbedded with a false sense of security
while vacationing, and in extremely luxiourious surroundings, tend to let their gaurd down! They lose their
daughter, get trounced by the media,
and threatened with murder charges.
The people at the canyon were grossly negligent, extremely ignorant
and wantonly and deadly ierresponsible.
And they get a free ride!

[tireslinger]

Stupidity and/or just plain gross negligence...can anyone see or feel anything for these parents?? Their lives are changed now, forever.