Youth injured in fall from bluff

wireready_11-07-2018-23-08-02_05628_accident4

Newton County Sheriff-elect Glenn Wheeler said a 17-year-old male from Springfield fell from a bluff near Mt. Sherman early Tuesday afternoon. Wheeler said the young man was free-climbing down a sandstone bluff when a section of rock gave way. Since the young man was not attached to a safety rope, he fell about 30 feet.

The Harrison Daily Times reports when responders arrived, the youth was conscious and talking, but had sustained several injuries to his leg, shoulder, face and head.

The youth was placed on a backboard and into a specialized rescue device called a Stokes Basket and wheeled to a waiting ambulance, then to a helicopter. He was air-lifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield.

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI