Rock Climber Survives "Unsurvivable" Fall, Scientists Know How
Danielle Watson’s recovery is nothing short of miraculous. A rock climber who fell more than 90 meters (over 300 feet) in Taylor Canyon near Gunnison in the summer of 2011 has stunned doctors and scientists alike by surviving what was considered an “unsurvivable” fall.
The accident occurred when her rope slipped through her harness, sending her plummeting onto solid rock below. She broke her ankles, leg, and pelvis, and severed her spine in two places. “I survived something I shouldn’t have survived,” Watson said. Landing on her feet absorbed the worst of the impact, and even her doctors at Denver Health Medical Center were amazed.
Michael Blei, Director of Rehab Medicine, called her survival “just miraculous” and praised her as “an incredible person.” Her surgeon noted that in a study of 287 other falls, no one had survived a fall of more than 100 feet.
Scientists studying the case suggest several factors may have contributed to her extraordinary survival. They believe the way her body rotated during the fall, the terrain she landed on, and the angle of impact helped distribute the forces more evenly, reducing the likelihood of fatal trauma.
Her safety gear and the slope beneath her, which partially absorbed the fall, may also have played a crucial role. The research team highlighted that human physiology can handle rapid deceleration differently depending on body orientation. When a person lands feet-first, the bones and muscles in the legs can absorb some of the energy before it reaches vital organs. Watson’s body mechanics may have turned a potentially fatal fall into a survivable one, albeit with injuries that required years of rehabilitation.
For Watson, recovery has been as much about perspective as physical healing. “Life is about the way you choose to look at things,” she said, describing the importance of focusing on possibility rather than limitation. A year and a half after her accident, she began adaptive sports, returning to the outdoor activities she has loved for so long. Skiing at Winter Park with other adaptive racers is part of that choice—to redefine what her life looks like despite her paralysis.
“I have my bad days when I’m frustrated and I wish that I could walk again, but truthfully, I have learned so much and grown so much, I don’t know if I would erase it from my story,” she said. Crossing the finish line on the slopes, far removed from the emergency room where her journey began, Watson reflected on the note she sent to her doctors: “I am very grateful for my life and am determined to live it to its fullest.”
Though she doesn’t yet know her full purpose, the determination in her smile and the cheers of her fellow racers show she is well on her way. Her story is a powerful reminder of how physics, physiology, and perhaps sheer luck can make the difference between life and death in extreme environments—and of the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.
Read a scientific report about the fall here, more about the injuries here, and more from the High Five Foundation here.
