(NEXSTAR) – Emergency responders in California rescued a man who fell 75 feet from the landing of an aerial tramway, but miraculously suffered no serious injuries.
The Riverside County Fire Department responded to reports of an incident near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway at approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday, officials confirmed on Twitter. Firefighters arrived to find the man had fallen approximately “75 feet over the embankment” into an inaccessible area.
Rescue crews ultimately rigged a rope system to retrieve the man and bring him back to safety “at the top of the tram,” the fire department said.
Officials had also said on Twitter that “the patient was not injured,” though a representative for the fire department later told The Los Angeles Times that he suffered only minor injuries and declined medical attention.
A representative for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway also told the outlet that a restaurant worker at the observation point had witnessed the man climbing over guard rail just before the incident occurred. The fire department said the victim then slipped on some ice, causing him to fall.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, billed as having the “world’s largest rotating tram car,” extends for 2.5 miles from Coachella Valley to a station in the San Jacinto Mountains at an elevation of over 8,500 feet. Since opening in 1963, the tramway has transported over 20 million people, according to its official website.