Man dies after falling at Albion Falls in front of his family

A man in his 50s is dead after he fell into a ravine at Albion Falls in front of his family.

The man was hiking with family members on Saturday when he slipped and fell near the edge of the falls, says Staff Sgt. Jamie Moore of Hamilton Police.

Several people were around when it happened around 3:45 p.m., he said. The man died on scene.

"It was an accidental slip and fall," Moore said. "It was a tragic accident."

Emergency personnel retrieved him from the falls area, which is near Mountain Brow Boulevard.

This isn't the first time Albion Falls have made the news this year.

Corey Dixon was with friends at the falls in February when he slipped on the ice and fell 12 metres. The 21-year-old broke his back and other bones, shattered his arm, and had a concussion and a brain bleed. 

Afterward, Dixon called for better fencing around the falls.

Tennessee Propedo, director of city parks, told CBC Hamilton in March that the city has looked at fencing in the past, but it would impede views of the waterfall.

This weekend's incident is even more of a reason to look at fencing, said Dixon, who may never fully recover from the fall. "You don't have to destroy nature to make things safer."

"How many more deaths and injuries have to happen at Albion Falls before they decide to fix that?"

Albion Falls are advertised as a tourist destination, and it encourages visitors, he said. So the city should make the area safer. He was nowhere near the cliff's edge when he first slipped and fell, he said. And the trails are deceptively close to the edge.

"For the most part, when someone slips and falls, they don't expect to be falling over a cliff."