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Woman Falls 400 Feet To Her Death At The Grand Canyon
A Yelp executive fell 400 feet to her death at the Grand Canyon while hiking with her friends on Friday.
Colleen Burns, 35, was on vacation with her friends when they stopped at the scenic Ooh Ahh Point on the South Kaibab Trail. Burns was simply moving out of the way for another group of hikers when she tripped and fell over the edge.
"She was stepping out of the way for another gentleman to kind of squeeze in, and unfortunately, Colleen kind of got tripped up on her own feet and fell backwards, fell into the canyon," Jessica Roman, one of Burns' friends, told Orlando's WESH. "That was the longest, strangest, craziest two seconds of my life."
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Before she fell, Burns posted the above photo to her Instagram, of her taking in a breathtaking view from the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon National Park officials say they deal with around a dozen deaths per year.
Burns was a marketing director for Yelp in the Orlando area. The company issued the following statement to WESH:
We are deeply saddened by the death of Colleen Burns, a cherished Yelp colleague and friend. Colleen launched the Yelp community in Orlando nearly seven years ago. Her passing represents a tremendous loss to our company, the communities she supported and the many friends she made while doing what she loved. We are heartbroken but thankful to have been positively shaped by her passion and joy for life.
Burns was a fan of EDM musician Kaskade and formed an online fan-group called Kaskade Konnect. In a post on his website, Kaskade wrote, "I feel taken apart by the news of Colleen's passing. I'm feeling what I’m guessing you are: numb and then such sadness. This changes the landscape of our community, but I am 100% certain that we will meet again."
Grand Canyon National Park rangers found Burns' body 400 feet below Ooh Aah Point. Authorities are now conducting an investigation into her death.
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