25 year old man falls down the Devil’s Punchbowl

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A 25-year-old man from Toronto has died as a result of his injuries after falling off the edge of the Devil’s Punchbowl, a natural formation in Stoney Creek.

Police say three friends were walking along the edge, possibly trying to get a good picture, when one man fell 100 feet down to the bottom. It happened at around 9pm Wednesday night. Firefighters rescued the man and he was taken to Hamilton General where he died Thursday morning. Firefighters say the group walked past the barriers along ridge road.

Gord Costae works for the Hamilton Conservation Authority which is in charge of the area overlooking the bowl from the other side. He says there are signs and fences in place but unfortunately that doesn’t stop everyone from climbing over. “We think this is a reasonable approach to alerting people of dangers past this point,” says Gord Costae.

There are no sanctioned trails in the area but that hasn’t stopped hikers from finding their own way down. Grace Moyer climbed back up and says her hike was definitely high risk. “On this trail specifically you could be careful and confident in your skills and still slip up. There are lots of loose rocks you can step on a easily lose your balance and then you’d be down pretty quickly.”

“It is a safety concern. In the HCA we strongly encourage everyone at all of our conservation areas to stay on the main trail areas and to keep close eye on young children. We want to make people aware of potential dangers that can happen when your out visiting natural areas, especially if going off trail,” says Gorde.