News Release

Fatal Accident at Park Overlook

People at edge of steep slope with emergency vehicle and mountains in background.

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News Release Date: November 25, 2020

Contact: Dana Soehn, 865-436-1207

At 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24, Great Smoky Mountains National Park 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.
 

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Last updated: December 4, 2020

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