College Student Dies in Front of Dad After Slipping Off Yosemite’s Half Dome: 'It Happened So Fast'

An Arizona college student died after she slipped down the face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park during an unexpected rainstorm earlier this month.

Grace Rohloff, 20, was descending the popular peak on July 13 along with her father, Jonathan, when the accident occurred, according to SFGate, the San Francisco Chronicle and Fox affiliate KMPH-TV.

The father and daughter, both experienced hikers, had just summited the mountain — a “bucket list” moment for the two — when the weather took a turn, SFGate reported.

"A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” Rohloff told the outlet. “I was like, ‘We have got to get down now, because we don’t want to be up here with any rain.’ It rolled in literally out of nowhere.”

As they made their descent down along the 400-foot stretch of rockface, which features cables, the duo were delayed by slow-moving hikers below them, her father recalled.

"It was difficult because you try to be polite and try to respect other people's boundaries as well and then you know, we were getting dumped on with rain because we're waiting for others," he told KMPH.

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The dad noted that Grace, who was wearing new hiking shoes for the occasion, told him that she was having trouble gaining traction on the trail.

In an instant, the Arizona State University student slipped from his reach, slid outside the boundary of the cables down the face of the mountain, and fell an estimated 200–300 feet, KMPH reported.

“It all happened so fast,” Jonathan said. “I thought there was a possibility that she was still alive.”

But Jonathan soon learned that Grace likely hit her head on a rock and died from her injuries.

The Mariposa County Coroner’s Office later confirmed to SFGate that Grace died from a head fracture.

Now, her father is imploring Yosemite to add safety measures to the mountain. And he’s taking time to remember how special his daughter was.

PEOPLE has reached out to the National Park Service for comment.

“She lived every second of her life to the fullest,” Jonathan told the Chronicle. “Grace made everyone feel important. She really took care of everyone and made everyone feel loved. I don’t know how I’d be able to get through this loss if I didn’t know she had great faith.”