Sep 4, 2008 10:46 pm US/Central
Tragedy At Starved Rock Causes Push For Safety
UTICA, Ill. (CBS) ―
There's a new push to improve safety at Starved Rock State Park - after a deadly accident recently. A hiker fell to his death at the park near Utica just a few days ago. Now, as CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, the family of another victim is coming forward, hoping changes will prevent another accident in the future.
Milos Hrsto, 21, plunged 80 feet to his death at Starved Rock over the weekend. Authorities say he veered off the path and plummeted, after leaning on a tree branch that gave way.
The news brought back painful memories for Eileen and John Meyer.
"It all came back," said John Meyer, father.
"I feel for them," said Eileen Meyer, mother. "My heart breaks for them."
Their 18-year-old son, Sean, was just days away from his high school graduation in 2003 when he went hiking at Starved Rock.
"He leaned against a tree to take a picture and the tree uprooted because they tell us it's a sand-base and he fell with the tree," Eileen said.
At least three people have died in falls at Starved Rock in the past five years. The Meyers are among those calling for added safety measures. Signs are posted warning hikers not to leave the trails.
A video from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website claims that, "if you fall, and someone does nearly every year, you're going to get seriously hurt," and to "stay on the trails."
Spokesman Chris McCloud told CBS 2 over the phone: "Obviously safety is the number one priority. Over the past 30 years, there have been a number of improvements made. Despite the improvements, there are always hikers who venture off the marked trails."
"I did go after he died because I wanted to see where it was," Eileen said. "And I'm not a hiker, but I disagree that the trail was clearly marked."
And the Meyers say signs are not enough.
"There's got to be a simpler way to stop it besides posting signs that say 'stay on the trail,'" John said.
"I'm not blaming them for what happened," Eileen said. "If it's my son, then yeah, he's a crazy 18-year-old. If it's someone every single summer, we got to take a look at that."
The family of the young man who died last weekend is calling on state park authorities to add more railings along the trails. While that's one possibility, the Meyers are also pushing for better education. They say memorial plaques, marking the places where hikers have died, may be even more effective to convince people to use extreme caution.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Video: CBS 2's Picks To Click
