A 22-year-old visitor to Yosemite National Park died Saturday after being swept over Nevada Fall, a nearly 600-foot waterfall in the California park. Officials confirmed the death this week.
Josue Baires Alfaro was in the Merced River when the current pulled him toward the falls. Freesia Gaul, a parkgoer nearby, was taking photographs when she spotted him struggling in the water. She recognized immediately that he was not a strong swimmer and would likely go over the edge.
Gaul, a former volunteer lifeguard, made a split-second decision to jump in and attempt a rescue. The waters were turbulent, however, and she quickly found herself fighting the same current that threatened Alfaro. She lost sight of him as he went over the falls.
"People see calm water, but they don't realize that under that there's a huge undercurrent," Gaul told SFGate. "When you see someone like that, when you make direct eye contact with someone who you know is going to go over, you can't turn around."
Gaul's survival hung in the balance until a bystander extended a walking stick into the water. She grabbed hold of it and managed to avoid going over Nevada Fall herself. Had she not had that lifeline, she likely would have followed Alfaro over the edge.
The National Park Service has launched an investigation into the incident. The agency has repeatedly warned parkgoers about the dangers of the Merced River and the area around Nevada Fall, urging visitors to exercise extreme caution near flowing water and wet rock.
Yosemite, located roughly three and a half hours east of San Francisco, draws about 4 million visitors annually and ranks among America's most visited national parks. Hiking, water activities, and cycling draw people from around the world.
Fatal accidents at the park are not uncommon. In 2013, a 19-year-old California resident died after swimming in the Merced River and being swept downstream toward Nevada Fall. In 2018, an Israeli teenager fell 800 feet to his death while taking a selfie near the same waterfall.
Author James Rodriguez: "Every year this park claims lives because visitors underestimate moving water and gravity. The warnings are everywhere, but people see a pretty river and forget they're standing on the edge of a 600-foot cliff."
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