Visitor Survives 120-Foot Plunge at Glacier National Park After Bystander Intervention

Ken Nurse walked away from a catastrophic fall at one of Montana’s most visited destinations, crediting swift action by a stranger and professional rescue crews. On August 13, Nurse tumbled over an overlook at McDonald Falls in Glacier National Park, plummeting approximately 120 feet down a cliff face into McDonald Creek below.

Nurse had moved closer to the edge while photographing the scenic waterfall when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath him, according to his wife Renae. A witness nearby immediately entered the water after spotting Nurse lying face-down and unresponsive, pulling him into shallower water and beginning chest compressions when he realized the man was not breathing.

Rangers from Glacier National Park had reached Nurse in the creek when Two Bear Air Rescue, a Montana-based helicopter search-and-rescue organization, arrived at the scene. A crew member was lowered from the helicopter to secure Nurse before hoisting him back to safety, after which he was transferred to a medical helicopter for transport to a hospital.

Nurse sustained multiple cracked ribs, a compound fracture to his elbow requiring surgery, and fluid in his lungs. He spent two days on a ventilator but expressed profound gratitude for his survival, stating he believed he should not have lived through the incident and credited everyone involved in his rescue.