The day after two mid-July rescues, the Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team responded to a cliff fall on Tarr Ridge road in Rogers.
A man left his home sometime the previous evening and entered the woods. After he still had not returned the next morning, his family began searching along with the Wolfe County Sheriff’s Department, which eventually heard him crying for help below a cliff. He fell from a 50 ft cliff and continued to tumble down a steep hill and a series of smaller cliffs, causing severe injuries along the way.
A hasty team, including a paramedic, rappelled down and quickly accessed the patient. Team rope technicians set up a high angle raise/lower system above him on a nearby cliff.
After the patient received initial treatment and was packaged in a stokes basket, the team executed a raise. The team then transported him up hill, out of the woods to a waiting ambulance, which transported him to Clark Regional Hospital in Winchester. After completion, a local citizen offered cold Ale 8 soft drinks to thankful team members.
The mission held special significance because it marked the first official EMS mission of our partnership with Morgan County KY EMS as the Wilderness response unit.
We thank the Wolfe County Sheriff Department, Kentucky State Police and Breathitt Wolfe EMS for providing crucial assistance during the operation.
