Monday, October 14, 2013
Rescue Team Retrieves Individual Who Fell From Insurance Bluff
Local emergency personnel were called into action early Monday morning after an individual fell from the top of a bluff on Wisdom Road in West Point.
A press release issued through the Lawrenceburg Fire Department indicates that an as-yet unidentified male, age 22, had plummeted more than 100 feet from the top of what is commonly known as “Insurance Bluff.”
Units with Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Lawrence County Emergency Medical Service, and West Point and Gandy Fire Departments were initially dispatched to the scene shortly after 4:30 a.m. in answer to the victim’s call for help.
He had reportedly been moving from one outcropping to another when he lost his footing and fell. He became wedged in some trees, preventing him from falling all the way to the bottom of the ravine.
After assessing the situation, those first on the scene requested assistance from the Lawrence County Technical Rescue Team, which is comprised of members of the New Prospect, Ethridge, Lawrenceburg, Leoma, Iron City and West End Fire Departments.
The technical rescue team initiated what was described as a “massive rescue effort.” A three-man team repelled down to the injured man. They provided medical assistance and loaded him into a Stokes basket.
Meanwhile team members worked to construct a rope haul system, then lowered needed medical and rescue equipment.
Once he was secured, the team was able to raise the victim to the roadway at the top of the bluff. There, Lawrence County EMS and Air Evac Lifeteam rendered medical attention.
He was then airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in what was believed to be serious condition. Officials said that at the time of transport he was conscious and responsive.
Officials reported that one team member was injured during the operation. He sustained a large laceration when a rock fell on his leg. He received medical treatment at Crockett Hospital.
