A San Francisco woman is telling her story after she fell off an art installation at Burning Man last week.
Rachel Gingery said she climbed up a 40-foot tall art piece, which resembles a sinking ship and it was designed for people to climb.
The plan was to slide down the diagonal pole. Gingery told NBC Bay Area that she followed directions by volunteers to climb. But Gingery said when her backpack shifted, her position shifted too and that's when she fell at least 20 feet.
"Once I was upside down, the height of the pole was about 40 feet off the ground. I slid a little bit on the way down and then, I just completely lost my grip and fell, and landed on my back on the backpack,” she said.
Gingery, who had attended the event eight times, said she initially couldn’t move and feared she might not be able to walk again. She spent close to 16 hours in the event's medical tent before she was transported to a hospital in Reno, Nevada.
After a two-hour ride in an ambulance to a Reno hospital, she learned the full extent of her injuries. Despite the gravity of her injuries, Gingery said she is expected to fully recover.
"I had four fractured vertebrae and I had one fractured rib, and then, my lung and spleen were both bruised," Gingery said.
Gingery, 40, said she doesn’t blame the artists who created the installation. She added that she knew the risks and also acknowledges that her injuries could have been much worse.
Although she got hurt, Gingery said she attends Burning Man to push boundaries, which is why she's looking forward to next year's event.
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"I am filled with gratitude that I am still here and able to make a full recovery," she said. "I will definitely be back next year."
Gingery was one of 20 Burning Man attendees who were transported to a hospital during the week-long event. More than a dozen people were medically transported by helicopter.
Additionally, a 39-year-old woman died on the first day of the event. The cause of her death has yet to be determined.
