Man Dies On Christmas Day In Yosemite

Yosemite, CA – A man fell into a river in Yosemite National Park and died on Christmas Day – park officials are blaming the lapse in time of reporting the death on the government shutdown.

Today National Park Service spokesperson Andrew Munoz relayed that the man apparently slipped down Silver Apron, which is a large, sloping granite area above Nevada Falls. Rescue crews made it to the accident scene in less than an hour. They were able to pull him from the river, but he died of head injuries.  The deceased man has not been identified.

Munoz revealed that the partial government shutdown is hampering the ongoing investigation by slowing it down. He notes that the park was not able to issue a press release regarding the fatality until now due to the two week old shutdown that has resulted in a shortage of staff. Munoz adds that no further details are being released at this time.