27 November 2020

Warrior, Alabama man dies from injuries sustained in fall from Chimney Tops overlook



Overlook near Chimney Tops (NPS)

A Warrior, Alabama man died Tuesday after falling from a Chimney Tops overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

At 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, rangers responded to a Chimney Tops overlook along Newfound Gap Road after receiving a report that a man fell approximately 50 feet below the embankment.

Wesley Brandon Stedham, age 48, of Warrior, AL fell after stepping down a steep slope below the overlook for a photograph. Stedham suffered severe head trauma and passed away as a result of these injuries.

Park rangers and members of the park's technical Search and Rescue team established a rope and pulley system to reach the patient and bring him up to the overlook. No additional details are available at this time.






--NPS--