UNION TWP. >> A woman fell to her death from a cliff after plunging more than 300 feet into water at an abandoned quarry.
The accident happened late Saturday afternoon at the Dyers Quarry near Route 345.
State police from Reading were dispatched around 5:45 p.m. for an unresponsive female lying face down in the water.
The female victim was identified as Elizabeth McKibbin, 27, of Elverson. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Berks County Coroner’s Office.
McKibbin was on the quarry property with five other adults and two children (a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old) at the time of the accident, according to state police.
Police were initially told that the victim had fallen 50 feet but the investigation determined her fall was from a much higher elevation.
After interviewing the adults at the scene, state police determined that McKibbin had been dancing on the rock ledge when she slipped and fell more than 300 feet down a rock cliff and into the quarry that was filled with water.
McKibbin was removed from the water by Exeter Fire and Rescue personnel and was pronounced dead by Berks County Deputy Coroner Scott Anuszewski.
The death is considered accidental, police said. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
Dyers Quarry is located within the boundary of French Creek State Park. The area is posted with signs that state “No Trespassing” and “Hazardous Area,” but people often venture into the quarry site.
Trooper Jared Clugston from the state police station in Reading is the investigating officer. State police patrol Union Township because it doesn’t have its own police department.
In addition to state police, park rangers from French Creek State Park and a Southern Berks Medic Unit assisted at the scene.
Route 345, which cuts through the state park, was closed for several hours during recovery and investigatory operations.
