Alabama man falls to his death in Great Smoky Mountains

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — An Alabama man died after he fell 50 feet down an embankment in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday.

Park rangers responded to a Chimney Tops overlook along Newfound Gap Road at 1:40 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a report that a man fell about 50 feet below an embankment.

Wesley Brandon Stedham, age 48, of Warrior, Alabama fell after stepping down a steep slope below a Chimney Tops overlook for a photograph. He suffered severe head trauma and passed away as a result of these injuries, according to a spokesperson for the park.

Park rangers and members of the park’s technical Search and Rescue team established a rope and pulley system to reach the patient and bring him up to the overlook.

No additional details have been made available at this time.