A well-known adventure photographer has suffered serious spinal injuries after falling approximately 200 feet while hiking in Portugal, as disclosed by his family.
Kyle Quin Schrock, from San Diego, was hiking in Madeira when a section of the trail collapsed underneath him on October 11, according to his sister-in-law.
He was airlifted to a hospital and remains in the ICU awaiting spinal surgery, dealing with broken ribs, and coping with fluid in his lungs, Tara Schrock mentioned in a GoFundMe campaign set up to aid his recovery.
“He has a long road ahead for recovery, including travel support, rehabilitation, and other medical necessities back in the USA. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to work for several months,” she added.
Schrock is a prominent outdoor adventure and lifestyle photographer with over 1.3 million followers on his Instagram. His account showcases stunning photos from his travels around the world, and his sister-in-law noted that he has traveled extensively.
In an Instagram post, Schrock described his fall: “I fell about 60 meters, I thought it was my death but eventually got caught on a piece of grass. Like a little bush.”
He earned his degree in accounting from Brigham Young University-Hawaii in 2014 and has been in content creation for nearly 12 years. Before college, he served a two-year mission in Costa Rica for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he also became fluent in Spanish.
As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe had gathered over $11,700 of its $30,000 target.
In a related note, climbing influencer Balin Miller tragically lost his life due to a fall at Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan last year, marking the third death in the park that summer.
