ULSTER COUNTY, NY — A hiker who had fallen approximately 80 feet at Minnewaska State Park succumbed to her injurites. 

According to a report from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), at 1:15 p.m. on December 22, forest ranger John Rusher responded to the accident after hearing a 911 call. The victim, a 39-year-old from Singapore, was severely injured but conscious when state parks staff reached her, according to the DEC.

Rusher was joined by Lieutenant Kevin Slade and three additional forest rangers. Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries and the complexity of the terrain, the rangers requested a New York State Police helicopter for a hoist mission. While moving the hiker to the extraction point, her vitals crashed. State parks staffers began CPR. 

At 3:10 p.m., the victim was hoisted out of the area by ranger Griggsby Cowart and pilots John Bernardini and Jim Leeder, then transferred to an ambulance that took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

An initial state police investigation found that she and her husband were hiking on the Beacon Hill trail and stopped to take pictures at the edge of the cliff. The victim lost her footing and fell. 

Rangers warn that hikers should wear proper footwear for the current hiking conditions and pay attention to the inherent dangers of the outdoors.