A visitor to Glacier National Park plunged roughly 120 feet into McDonald Creek after the ground gave way beneath him near a waterfall overlook, and he owes his life to a stranger who jumped in after him.
Ken Nurse had stopped with his group near McDonald Falls in Montana's Glacier National Park on August 13 to take photos when he stepped closer to the edge for a better view. The ground beneath him collapsed. He tumbled over a set of waterfalls and dropped approximately 120 feet down a cliff face into McDonald Creek below.
His wife, Renae Nurse, had walked back to the car to warm up moments before the fall. She later told Fox News Digital, through a report by NonStop Local Montana, that the group had been near the falls taking photographs when the incident occurred.
An unnamed bystander spotted Nurse lying face down in the creek. He was not breathing. The bystander waded into the water, dragged Nurse to a shallower area, and began chest compressions, a decision that rescue officials later credited with saving the man's life.
Glacier National Park rangers reached the scene and were tending to Nurse in the middle of the creek when a Two Bear Air Rescue helicopter arrived overhead. The Montana-based search-and-rescue organization lowered a crew member from the helicopter to reach Nurse, secured him, and hoisted him out of the water. From there, the crew flew him to a waiting medical helicopter, which stabilized him and transported him to a hospital. The specific hospital was not identified.
Two Bear Air Rescue posted video of the rescue on its Facebook page and praised the bystander who acted first.
"We commend the quick action of the bystander whose actions saved the victim's life."
The identity of that bystander has not been made public. Whether the person was a fellow park visitor or a park employee remains unknown.
Nurse survived, but barely. He suffered multiple cracked ribs, a compound fracture to his elbow that required surgery, and fluid in his lungs. He spent two days on a ventilator.
Even after all of that, Nurse's focus was on the people who pulled him back from the edge.
"I just want everyone who helped me out to get the things they deserve. Because I should not be here right now."
He added plainly:
"I owe everyone my life and I want that to be known."
One of Nurse's sons wrote on Facebook after the rescue, thanking the crew directly.
"I want to send a massive thank you to these brave crew of people for a successful rescue of my Dad!!"
Fox News Digital reached out to Glacier National Park for comment and additional details. No response was reported in the coverage. The cause of the ground giving way, whether erosion, ice, or some other factor, has not been publicly explained.
National parks draw millions of visitors every year, and overlooks near waterfalls and cliff edges are among the most popular, and most dangerous, spots in the system. The ground can look solid and still be undercut by water, freeze-thaw cycles, or simple erosion. Nurse did not jump. He did not climb a barrier. He stepped forward, and the earth disappeared.
What kept this from becoming another fatality statistic was not a guardrail, a warning sign, or a federal program. It was one person who saw a stranger face down in a creek and did not wait for someone else to act.
