Alamogordo man dies after falling into canyon
ALAMOGORDO – A 19-year-old Alamogordo man died after he fell an estimated 250 feet while he was hiking with a 16-year-old boy in the Tunnel Vista area near the U.S. Highway 82 tunnel east of town Thursday, Otero County Sheriff Benny House said.
House said the Otero County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of a stranded hiker around 8:15 p.m. Thursday.
“We spoke to a family members who identified the victim as David Morales,” House said. “They identified the area where Morales had fallen which was on the north side of the canyon at Tunnel Vista. He was approximately 250 to 400 feet down from the top.”
He said additional units arrived comprising of OCSO deputies, New Mexico Search and Rescue, U.S. Border Patrol agents, the Border Patrol’s helicopter, New Mexico State Police, James Canyon, High Rolls and La Luz fire departments, and the American Red Cross.
“First responders attempted to reach Mr. Morales throughout the night,” House said. “At about 8 a.m. Friday first responders did get to Mr. Morales. Morales had succumbed to his injuries from the fall which the initialed appearance he succumbed to his injuries at the time of fall.”
He said first responders worked the remainder of the morning until about 12:30 p.m. to removing Morales off the face of the mountain.
“New Mexico Police took over as the primary investigators on the fall,” House said. “Per witnesses Morales initially fell between 5 and 6 p.m. Thursday but the hiking partner was unable to call out to 911. He had to hike out of the area and at which time he notified family which in turn contacted 911.”
The Tunnel Vista hiking area is along the side of U.S. Highway 82 East before entering the tunnel going towards Cloudcroft. The hiking trail is entered at the Tunnel Vista Observation Site, according to the Lincoln National Forest website.
“They were over on the ridges on the north side of the canyon,” House said. “Highway 82 is on the south side of canyon. They had crossed over and were on top. He had lost his balance and fell over the edge. The terrain is rough. The area that he was in, the ledge had about a 50 degree angle. It was very rocky and slippery which complicated the search and rescue as far as reaching him without the proper safety equipment.”
He said when anyone is hiking in rough terrain, they need to be extra cautious especially in light of Thursday’s tragic hiking accident.
“Anytime you’re hiking in these areas with rough terrain, you have to use extra caution,” House said. “And prepare yourself for a lot of events that could take place. One of the big concerns we have is snake bites. In a remote area it takes so long to get out to get help when something does go wrong in these rough terrain areas. Often times help is just not around the corner and get someone to safety.”
He said it takes time for first responders to get to a hiker who is in need of medical attention.
“You always have to use caution and let people know where you’re going to be, let people know when you’re going to be back and make travel plans,” House said. “You just don’t know when it’s going to happen. That’s why they call them accidents. This is a young man. This is very tragic. It could happen to anybody. These things happen. You have to take extra caution and hike with a friend who can go get help if something does happen.”
He said Border Patrol played a key role in the search and rescue.
“The Border Patrol and New Mexico Search and Rescue played a key role in the search efforts,” House said. “It was USBP and NMSR that carried the torch on this one. With Border Patrol providing a helicopter that was critical in getting to this young man and getting him out to his family.”