NEW : ` ` ` He was n't trying to shoot a photograph or anything like that , '' his sister-in-law , Suzy Naughalty , told the newspaper on Tuesday . It was just a freakish accident , '' mother - in - law says . NEW : John Paul Anderson , 53 , falls about 350 feet off the South Rim . He was traveling with his family from Seattle . The National Park Service and a medical examiner are called .
NEW : ` ` It was just a freakish accident , '' mother - in - law says . NEW : John Paul Anderson , 53 , falls about 350 feet off the South Rim . He was traveling with his family from Seattle . The National Park Service and a medical examiner are called .