CLARKSVILLE, N.Y. -- A 13-year-old boy was airlifted out of a 150-foot gorge after slipping down a cliff in Clarksville. Rescue workers said he fell about 50 feet, and getting him out safely was no easy task.
"Probably an 8 on a scale of 10," said New York State Police Pilot Mike Collins as several rescue crews helped pull the boy from the Onesquethaw Creek.
Albany County EMS said the boy was hiking a trail with one adult and other children when he slipped into the gorge. Because of the depth of the gorge and heavy tree line surrounding it, a state police helicopter was sent in to lift him out.
A 13-year-old boy escaped serious injury after falling about 50 feet down a cliff during a hiking trip. Jaime Kazlo has the details.
"There's a large pool of water with cliffs on both sides. There wasn't really any place to land the rescuer out of the helicopter and it was very tight to lower the rescuer in," said Albany County Sheriff's EMS Commander Dennis Wood. "So, we had to bring him down about 200 yards down stream to a much wider open area."
An adult with the boy told rescuers that he was unconscious for about a minute. But by the time EMS crews reached him, they said he was alert and answering questions.
The boy suffered a leg injury and some cuts to his face, but all in all, rescue workers say the young man is very lucky because conditions could have been much worse.
"Normally, this kind of terrain under different wind conditions could have been prohibitive if it had been rough and gusty," said Collins.
Wood said the entire helicopter operation took more than an hour. He also said kids have been swimming on this property for years, and a similar incident happened about 5 years ago.