ST. CHARLES COUNTY Mo. – A teenager fell 100 feet off a cliff and died Tuesday afternoon while hiking at Klondike Park in St. Charles County.
Local residents said Klondike Park is a popular destination, and they are saddened by the tragedy.
“I mean what can you say, it’s just terrible,” said Jim Anderson, a cyclist.
“I know they’ve had incidents there before, teenagers being teenagers,” said Wendy Halamicek, a runner. “Just yesterday, I saw a bunch of teenage girls coming down this trail which is restricted of wearing flip-flops.”
St. Charles County Police Department said around 12:30 p.m., a 17-year-old male lost his footing while hiking in a restricted area and falls to his death.
Police confirmed the teen fell from a 100 feet-high bluff overlooking the Missouri River and Katy Trail. He was pronounced dead on the scene shortly after by the St. Charles County Ambulance District.
“We thought we would perhaps have to come down off the top of the bluff to make access to the patient,” said Kyle Gaines, spokesperson for the St. Charles County Ambulance District. “Ultimately, we found that we were able to access the individual from the Katy Trail, so didn’t need to do that rope rescue situation.”
Gaines said his team found the victim on a rocky terrain roughly 20 feet from the trail.
“This is a park that has a lot of uneven terrains,” said Gaines. “It’s got a lot of large rock formations, bluffs, so there are some pretty significant drops.”
The St. Charles County police are handling the investigation. They released the following statement:
“This was a very tragic accident. Chief Kurt Frisz and the men and women of the St. Charles County Police Department express our deepest condolence to the victim’s family and friends.”
Police said they urged all park visitors to travel in groups, have an emergency plan, and heed all warnings.
No further information, including the victim’s name, has been released.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
