How Many Deaths Have There Been At Garden Of The Gods In Shawnee National Forest
Authentic. Magnetic. Extremely happy.
That's how friends described Evansville artist Sara Rappee on Monday, two days after the 36-year-old jewelry maker and beloved community figure died after a tragic fall at Garden of the Gods in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest.
"She is the most meticulous artist I've ever met," friend and fellow USI grad Sara Rhoades told the Courier & Press. "… She would work and work on something until it was just perfect. It's how I would describe her jewelry — you would never find something more beautifully crafted."
More:Evansville artist dies after fall at Garden of the Gods
According to Equality, Illinois, Fire Chief Cole Baker, Rappee fell off a 60-foot cliff around 6 p.m. Saturday.
Baker told the C&P that Rappee wasn't in a dangerous location. It was just a "regular spot" in the trail that offered a great view of Camel Rock.
She was pronounced dead about 3 a.m. Sunday at St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville.
And she's at least the third person in the last five years to die after a fall at Garden of the Gods.
In 2016, a 37-year-old Kentucky woman named Melissa A. Riley plummeted 100 feet. And in May 2014, a 12-year-old Gallatin County, Illinois, girl also fell to her death not far from the main trail.
Deadly accidents have hit other parts of Shawnee National Forest as well. Last year, a 55-year-old woman fell 30 feet in Burden Falls Wilderness.
Several others have been injured in falls at Garden of the Gods, including a 21-year-old Newburgh man who suffered a serious knee injury in August 2014.
According to KFVS, a rash of accidents cropped up around Memorial Day weekend last year. Two people – a Chicago man and a Kansas City woman – broke bones after slipping from rock formations, and a child was treated for overheating.
Shawnee forest supervisor Lisa Helmig said the park has added extra signs to the trail, especially in dangerous areas, over the last few years.
"The safety and security of our visitors is very important to the forest," she said. "And Garden of the Gods is one of (our) most treasured places."
Helmig first heard about Rappee's fall late Saturday night. The Saline County Sheriff's office called her as soon as Sara was airlifted to the hospital.
Hearing about a death in the park is one of the toughest aspects of her job.
"My heart goes out to the family," she said.
More:4 bizarre moments from Evansville Fall Festival history | Webb
Contact columnist Jon Webb at jon.webb@courierpress.com.
How Many Deaths Have There Been At Garden Of The Gods In Shawnee National Forest
Source: https://www.courierpress.com/story/opinion/columnists/jon-webb/2019/10/08/garden-gods-fall-evansville-artist-third-die-since-2014/3906792002/
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