A 54-year-old volunteer Tivoli firefighter was injured when he fell 30 feet off a rock ledge into water as he was climbing into a ravine to rescue a 14-year-old girl who had been bitten by an uknown type of snake.
The 5 p.m. Monday incident occurred at the Kidd Lane Bridge in Tivoli. The injured girl was in the process of climbing out of a steep ravine under the bridge when firefighters arrived.
Firefighter Wayne Hildenbrand climbed into the ravine to assist the girl and was pulled off balance. He fell off the rock ledge and was rescued by fellow firefighters from the Tivoli and Red Hook fire departments. His son and Tivoli Fire Chief Mark Hildenbrand was among those who rescued him.
Wayne Hildenbrand suffered head injuries and was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie where he was treated.
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, which reported the incident, did not know the condition of the girl.
Republished with permission of the Hudson Valley News.
