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This thread discusses the Content article: Hiker rescued from fall at Monk's Cowl

I have concluded that these kinds of avoidable accidents happen when errors are allowed to accumulate.

1. The pair went hiking in an area they did not know, possibly unprepared to spend the night if they had to. They certainly did not have a rescue plan in case of an emergency. Did they have a torch?
2. They stayed until dark
3. They lost the path

Now they had a choice of turning back to find the path or downclimbing an unknown cliff in the dark without a rope where a fall might be fatal.

There are TWO clues why turning back is the proper choice. The first is that are about to pile a possible fourth mistake upon the 3 they already made KNOWINGLY. The second is that the worst consequences of climbing down an unknown cliff in the dark without a rope are not acceptable, while backing up may be tiresome, it is not life threatening. The worst case is that they will have to wait for light to find the path.

The second scenario becomes potentially life-threatening if it begins to rain or snow, and they are unprepared for it. However, that does not change the reason not to downclimb an unknown cliff in the dark without a rope. It also is a matter of risk evaluation. The chances of rain or snow are less than 100%, and in this case, probably quite low, else the pair whould have turned back earlier. Further, there is something you can do about bad weather - find a cave - while nothing can be done about a broken leg.

Once in the Rockies at 4500m, I paced back and forth all night on a ledge in temps well below freezing because I got trapped by the dark and knew to sleep was fatal. I only had one hard section to the path to my tent, I tried a number of times to go down an icy cliff in the dark, and luckily failed. It was quite a battle not to sleep. I did get some sleep once the sun rose, because I had to wait until 10am until the ice melted and I could downclimb again.

The story does not tell of the actions or fate of the companion. I assume he had no clue what to do. Did he sit it out until light? Was he rescued?

Funny how stubborn we can get when it comes to turning back! We always think it's too time consuming and that it will eventually come right if we carry on. Prudence and lack of blinding ambition are two good virtues to have in the mountains.