Man killed by fallen tree in Yellowstone

A falling tree killed a tourist from Taiwan in Yellowstone National Park.

According to a news release from the park on Tuesday, the 36-year-old visitor was part of a group that was hiking the Fairy Falls trail, which is north of the Old Faithful area and west of the Grand Loop Road.

During the hike Monday, the man left the trail and ascended a nearby tree-covered slope in an apparent attempt to get a better view of Grand Prismatic Spring. That’s when a lodgepole pine tree fell and struck him in the head, rangers said.

The victim was moved by rangers to the trailhead to await helicopter transport to a hospital, but after attempts to revive him failed, he was declared dead there.

Yellowstone rangers who responded said weather conditions were windy in the area. The tree had been standing since it died in the park’s 1988 fires.

The victim’s name is being withheld pending notification of family members.