CUMBERLAND — A 16-year-old boy escaped serious injuries Tuesday when he fell from a cliff in the Narrows at the rear of Bishop Walsh School on Haystack Mountain, authorities said.
The victim was hoisted from the rocky terrain and taken to the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center by the Maryland State Police medevac helicopter after members of the Allegany County High Angle Rescue Team stabilized him for transport.
The incident was reported to the Allegany County 911 Emergency Center at 5:42 p.m.
The victim fell an estimated 30 to 40 feet after he reportedly lost his balance as he reached for a tree branch at the edge of the cliff, according to the Cumberland Police Department. He was with other people at the time of the incident.
The victim was conscious when first-responders arrived at the scene, police said.
State Police Sgt. Donald Lehman of the Cumberland Aviation Section said through a news release that "an aerial hoist was deemed to be the most appropriate method of extraction that would ensure rapid transport to the trauma center."
"As ground crews that included the High Angle Rescue Team worked diligently to stabilize and package the victim for an aerial hoist operation, the crew of Trooper 5 positioned the aircraft to hover at a site located approximately 20 yards down the mountain," Lehman said.
The youth was reportedly listed in stable condition with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
Cumberland Police, Cumberland Fire Department and volunteer firefighters from LaVale, Bowling Green and Potomac at Westernport (members of the High Angle Rescue Team) responded upon alert by the 911 center.
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