1 person in critical condition after falling from cliff
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - A hiker is in critical condition after rescue crews say he fell off a cliff on Green Mountain.
The parents of 20-year-old Ernest Lee Hendrix Jr. said he went hiking Saturday, and never came home.
Hendrix's mother found him lying unconscious and called 911. Emergency responders arrived at the scene around 10 a.m. Sunday.
Officials with Huntsville Fire and Rescue said that the man was climbing near Green Mountain Road when he fell some 75-80 feet from a cliff.
Hendrix was transported to Huntsville Hospital, where he is in critical condition in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit.
Emergency crews had to trek with their equipment nearly a mile from the road in order to reach the victim. Rough terrain made it difficult, and it took nearly two hours to get the man out of the area.
"In extreme conditions, it's dangerous," said HEMSI Field Supervisor Paramedic Kenneth Burke. "There's loose rocks, there's bluffs, there's cliffs, there's trees. Yes, it does take us awhile to get those folks up on the top of the cliff, but they also have to be very careful because we certainly don't want rescuers injured or killed."
A special-operations all-terrain vehicle was used to assist in the rescue by HFR. In all, according to Frank McKenzie of HFR, more than 30 people assisted in the rescue effort.
"When you're doing this type of activity... you really need to have someone go along with you," Burke advised.
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