Trees likely saved life of falling elder

An LDS Church missionary who tumbled over a cliff in southern Australia had his fall broken by a cluster of trees and ground foliage, which New South Wales police say probably saved his life.

Elder Matt Weirich, 21, fell some 210 feet from the Grand Canyon Lookout in Morton National Park on Wednesday afternoon while hiking with three other missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Weirich had separated from the group to search for a missing shoe belonging to one of his companions, New South Wales police spokeswoman Joanne Elliott said. He was found a day later, first spotted by a rescue helicopter and then located by a volunteer search-and-rescue ground team.

"Our rescue helicopter crew said they hadn't had anybody else survive a fall of that kind," Elliott said. "I have to be honest, after a fall like that, we were very surprised to see him come out alive."

Police have yet to interview Elder Weirich, who was said to be in serious condition at Wollongon Hospital, in Wollongon, southwest of Sydney.

Elder Weirich, who was a sophomore at Brigham Young University and a member of the track team, is serving in the Australia Sydney South mission, according to LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills.

According to doctors, Elder Weirich's injuries were limited to some internal bleeding on his brain, said Jinger Aleman, a friend who is serving as the Weirich family spokeswoman. He suffered no broken bones or other outward signs of injury, she said. A physician called Elder Weirich's parents, Rick and Brenda, at their home in Fredericksburg, Texas, Thursday morning.

"(The doctor) said he had never seen anything like it," she said. "Matthew had not a drop of blood on the outside of his body. I don't know how that is possible."

Police believe Elder Weirich fell from the lookout about 2 p.m. Wednesday after crawling over a safety guardrail. An initial search was unsuccessful, even with the use of infrared cameras from a police helicopter, Elliott said. The ground crew that reached Elder Weirich on Thursday said it appeared the man had crawled about 100 feet from where he originally hit the ground to shelter himself from the elements. It is winter in Australia, and the overnight temperature Wednesday was about 35 degrees, she said. That portion of Australia is also 15 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time.

A specialized medical rescue team was airlifted in to assist Elder Weirich after to stabilize his physical condition. Medical personnel originally believe Elder Weirich was unconscious when he was found, but have since said he was actually suffering from shock, Elliott said.

The Westpac Lifesaver helicopter service used a winch to raise Elder Weirich out of the canyon and transport him to the hospital, according to a story in the South Highland News. Inspector Alan Smith, the Camden Local Area Command Duty Officer, told the paper Weirich was lucky to be alive.

"We certainly had hopes he would survive . . . and we're certainly extremely happy with the outcome," Smith said.

Rick and Brenda Weirich, who have eight other children, were traveling to Australia Thursday in order to be with their son, said Aleman.

"Matthew must really have had some great prayers out there for him," Aleman said. "We felt helpless here."

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E-mail: jdobner@desnews.com