A Texas man died last weekend after plunging 350 feet at the Grand Canyon.

Authorities believe he might have been trying to retrieve a hat dropped over the edge; witnesses say they saw him near the protective barrier but no one saw him actually fall.

53-year old John N. Anderson was found on the rocks below the mouth of the gorge and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. He was airlifted by helicopter, and authorities are investigating the incident.

“You always want to rule out foul play,” Grand Canyon Chief Ranger Bill Wright said. “You want to rule out whether somebody did this to him or he did it to himself. We believe based on reports and the circumstances that it was accidental.”

Anderson was with his wife at the park, but she wasn’t with him when he fell. Family members say it was a horrific accident.

“He wasn’t trying to shoot a photograph or anything like that,” his sister-in-law, Suzy Naughalty, said. “It was just a freakish accident.”

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