At approximately 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, Elyria Firefighters were called to a remote area of Cascade Park for a child who fell with a leg injury. Upon arrival, firefighters found the victim located in the park by the side of a walking trail, with an apparent leg injury.
The victim, a 13-year-old girl, had fallen approximately 20 feet down an embankment and had landed near the water’s edge with a very fast-moving current. The victim said she had been sitting on a boulder near the edge of the trail when she slipped.
Evan Zabel, Assistant Chief at Elyria Fire Department, noticed while on scene that her injuries would require her to be hoisted up to seek medical attention, but he says safety was the most important factor when dealing with the rescue.
“So we didn't really have to hurry as much so we could kind of take our time, be safe, set up a system, put her in a what we call a Stokes basket, a large metal basket, and then we strap her all in and hoisted her up,” Zabel said.
“Although the location where firefighters found her wasn’t out of the sight of the public, she'd fallen down off the edge of the trail, and it was about ten or 12 feet down to get her back,” said Chad McCabe, a firefighter also on scene.
The area is a prone location for accidents to occur, he said.
“There's probably two or three, maybe four incidents that we have. And in this zone in the park, there's large boulders that overlook, you know, waterfalls and in the form of the Black River. And it's just an attraction to anybody, especially minors," McCabe said.
That’s why he warns that visitors of the park should always be attentive and alert to their surroundings, especially when close to areas of height or water.
“It's a beautiful place. But there are hazards. People need to be cognizant of where they're at in these remote areas in the park and have somewhere, have someone with them. In case something bad does happen, somebody they can call for help,” Zabel said.
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