Teen dies in ‘avoidable accident’ while cliff jumping at quarry, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - A 17-year-old died July 12 after drowning at a rock quarry, authorities in Tennessee said.

Authorities said Evan Marsch lost consciousness after jumping from a cliff at Bellevue Quarry.

Marsch’s friends attempted to drag him to shore, but he drowned.

Metro Nashville Police said his body was recovered by the Nashville Fire Department just before 7 p.m.

The quarry is on private property managed by Scuba Nashville. The company expressed condolences in a statement and said cliff jumping and swimming are not permitted on the property.

“Jumping off cliffs is very dangerous. Sadly, this was an avoidable accident. We do not allow cliff jumpers or swimmers at the quarry and have many ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted around the property,” the statement read.

Laurel Pierce, a swim instructor, said the incident is “devastating” and reflects the dangers of jumping into unfamiliar water.

“You don’t know what you’re jumping into. You might think, ‘I can just jump in and I’ll be fine,’ and then you could land in the water incorrectly or hit a rock and it can knock you unconscious briefly, and suddenly you’re in a position that no one wants to be in.”

It is unclear whether property management plans additional measures to prevent future trespassing.

Nashville police are investigating the death.