Man dies after falling from California zipline course

Pauma Valley, California - A 34-year-old man died on Monday, two days after falling about 70 feet from a zipline on the La Jolla Indian Reservation in San Diego County, authorities said.

Joaquin Romero (l.), an employee at the La Jolla Zip Zoom Zipline, fell to his death after trying to save a zipliner (r. stock image) who was in trouble.
Joaquin Romero (l.), an employee at the La Jolla Zip Zoom Zipline, fell to his death after trying to save a zipliner (r. stock image) who was in trouble.  © Collage: Screenshot/GoFundMe/ & IMAGO/CHROMORANGE

The man has been identified as Joaquin Romero. He lived in Banning in Riverside County and worked at La Jolla Zip Zoom Zipline on the reservation off state Route 76, officials confirmed.

On Saturday afternoon, Romero was working on the "receiving" platform and tried to assist someone in distress on a zipline before he fell, according to the county Medical Examiner's Office.

A witness told Fox 5 San Diego that Romero was helping a woman get hooked onto the platform when she started sliding out on the zipline. He was unable to stop her and grabbed onto her harness, causing them to slide out farther.

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Romero fell about 70 feet to the ground in the accident and suffered multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Medical Examiner's Office and Cal Fire Captain Frank LoCoco.

Fire crews used ropes and a rescue basket to hoist Romero onto a road, where he was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to a medical helicopter in a landing zone, LoCoco said.

Romero was then airlifted to a hospital, where he died Monday morning.

The reservation's zipline course, which opened in 2015, bills itself as the longest of its kind in Southern California, according to its website. The lines, which opened in 2015, traverse canyons, valleys, treetops and the San Luis Rey River.

Norma Contreras, La Jolla Band Of Luiseño Indians' chairwoman, did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

In a statement to Fox 5, Contreras extended her condolences on behalf of the tribe to Romero's family.

"We are saddened and heart-broken over the recent tragic accident involving one of our employees at the La Jolla Zip Zoom Zipline," she said. "Like any employer, we pride ourselves on having a safe working environment and a safe and enjoyable experience for our customers.

"Given the circumstances of the accident, the Tribe is conducting an in-depth and comprehensive investigation, in coordination and cooperation with federal and state authorities."

Romero's family has created a GoFundMe page to help cover his funeral costs and to start a savings account for his child.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the incident, a spokesperson confirmed.

Cover photo: Imago/CHROMORANGE

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