Princeton 17-Year-Old Injured After Falling 30 Feet Off Cliff During Hike
PRINCETON (CBS) – A teenager was injured after falling off a cliff while out on a nature walk with friends Tuesday afternoon in Princeton.
Jim Hillis says what was supposed to be a walk among four friends turned into a serious situation after a 17-year-old fell off the cliff that was located deep in the woods near Princeton Acres Ranch. Hillis said his stepson stayed by his friend's side as others ran to get help and call 911.
Witnesses say the teenager tried to grab a tree branch and it broke. He fell about 30 feet onto his back.
Fire officials say more than 19 emergency personnel had to respond because of the difficulty of the rescue.
Once the boy was rescued off the cliff, firefighters then had to use and ATV and trudge the teen a half a mile through thick woods and muddy terrain to get him to an ambulance.
"He was unconscious when we got there. He never regained consciousness until he got to the hospital. He was highly unresponsive. We believe there were some pretty good head injuries," said Princeton Fire Chief John Bennett.
Bennett said the land is DCR property and people should not be out there.
"The big thing this time of year is that everything is slippery. It's a little warm out, so there are leaves on the ground and it's wet," he said.
Firefighters say the boy is fortunate to be alive and that he is lucky his friends were able to get him help so quickly.
