1000 x 90

Man Dies at Glen Burney Falls in Blowing Rock Tuesday

FIXE_0181

Update: At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the Blowing Rock Police Department issued this statement:

“Emergency personnel responded to a call this afternoon regarding a fall at the Glen Burney Falls in Blowing Rock. The incident resulted in the death of Alberto Diaz, 54, of Miami, Fla. Blowing Rock Police are continuing to document the incident as part of routine practice. No further releases regarding this incident are anticipated.”

By Jesse Wood

Oct. 28, 2014. A man died at Glen Burney Falls on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are currently investigating an incident down at Glen Burney Falls that has resulted in death,” a spokesman at the Blowing Rock Police Department said on Tuesday afternoon. “Further information will be provided at an appropriate time.”Glen-Burney-Trail

Kent Graham, emergency services director for Blowing Rock, referred questions of the incident to the Blowing Rock Police Department.

While authorities aren’t yet releasing details of the incident, The Blowing Rocket reported that an unidentified 55-year-old male and his dog appeared to have fallen 20 to 30 feet. This account was according to Brian Tomasch, who arrived on the scene shortly after the incident.

“Brian Tomasch of Raleigh stated that he was the third one on the scene at the falls … According to Tomasch, he and his wife were more than halfway down the trail when they heard the unidentified victim’s wife screaming. She told them that her husband and dog had fallen over an overlook,” The Blowing Rocket reported.

Tomasch told the paper that he located the victim by following the dog’s bark.

The falls are located at the end of Glen Burney Trail, which descends 800 feet into the rugged John’s River Gorge. A trailhead is located just steps from Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock. It is a steep and strenuous trail.

FIXE_0121
The falls are located at the end of Glen Burney Trail, which descends 800 feet into the rugged John’s River Gorge.
FIXE_0186
A trailhead is located just steps from Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock.
FIXE_0032
It is a steep and strenuous trail.