Young woman rescued after falling into Lynn Canyon

A young woman was rescued and taken to hospital Wednesday after she slipped and fell into a deep pool in Lynn Canyon Park. 

Jeremy Duncan with the District of North Vancouver's fire department said the woman was with a group of friends, who described themselves as about 20 years old, from Surrey and Vancouver. 

He said a park ranger witnessed the fall and called for help immediately.

"He was watching and said she slipped on one of the jumps and hit her back and rolled all the way down to the water and wasn't able to swim to the side. Her friend helped her get to the side shore," Duncan said. 

Rescuers were able to reach her at that point and determined she needed to be carried out in case of a back injury.

"We had a rescue boat go out with the team," he said, adding she was put on a stretcher before being lifted out by rope rescue onto the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge.

'It's never safe'

Although it is not prohibited to jump off the Lynn Canyon cliffs, the district and rescuers discourage it.

By mid-August this year, crews had rescued more than a dozen injured people from the canyon area. All of them survived, though deaths aren't uncommon. 

The fire department said about 30 people have died in the area over the past 24 years.

"[The park ranger] was in the right place at the right time," Duncan said. "They're trying to talk to the young people and educate them on the dangers of cliff-jumping."

"It's never safe … unfortunately, it's that mix between thinking you're invincible and the realization when a mishap happens you have to call us."

With files from Meera Bains