71-year-old rescuer falls to his death looking for man who fell at same NC waterfall
An attempt to recover a body at the base of one of North Carolina’s deadly waterfalls turned tragic again when a veteran member of the search team fell to his death Tuesday, according to Jackson County Emergency Management.
The searcher was identified as 71-year-old Eldon Jamison of Yellow Mountain, a 40-year member of the rescue squad, the county said.
The body of the hiker he was looking for was found Wednesday afternoon, officials said. He was identified by Jackson County officials as 24-year-old Chandler Manuel of the Rowan County town of Rockwell, N.C.
Both men died at the base of Whitewater Falls, considered “the highest waterfall east of the Rockies,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has a combined 800-foot descent, with a 411-foot upper falls and a 400-foot lower falls, the department says.
Jamison was on site as a member of the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad, which posted Thursday that his death was “a tragic accident in the line of duty.”
“He was the most caring and compassionate person you could ever meet,” the rescue squad’s post read.
The accident happened as 19 climbers from the squad were scaling down the escarpment in a second attempt to find Manuel, who fell into water at the base of Whitewater Falls around 9 p.m. Monday, Jackson County officials said in a press release.
Jamison “fell from a rope” to the bottom of the waterfall with 10 team members still above him and eight below, officials said.
“All 18 of these members survived safely,” the release said.
His body was recovered about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, with the help of a National Guard N.C. helicopter team, the release said. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigations is now investigating, which Jackson County officials said “is standard when a death occurs in the line of duty.”
Jackson County officials said Jamison was a widower and father of three who joined the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad more than 40 years ago.
”He held multiple offices within the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad, including captain and assistant captain,” the county said in a release. “Jamison is one of six original employees of the Glenville-Cashiers EMS in 1984.”
News of his death has drawn the attention of first responders from across the Southeast, some of whom began posting condolences on the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad Facebook page.
Among those posting tributes on social media is Dale Curtis, who said Jamison was his uncle. Curtis said Jamison had been a volunteer firefighter and paramedic.
“Eldon was in truth risking his life to recover a victim’s remains,” Curtis wrote. “He wasn’t risking his life for money; they’re not paid all that well. He wasn’t risking his life for fame ... No, he risked his life so that victim’s loved ones would have closure and know what had become of them. That, my friends, is who he was.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 3:54 PM.