Published: June 26, 2007 10:55 pm         

Boy Scout rock climber falls 30 feet at New River Gorge

A 14-year-old Virginia Boy Scout fell 30 feet while rock climbing in the New River Gorge area Tuesday afternoon, National Park Service officials said.

Chief Ranger Gary Hartley of the New River George National River said the victim was going down an approach toward a ladder at Fern Creek. That was when the boy slipped and fell 15 feet through a large crack in a rock.

The boy landed on a ledge, from where he fell another 15 feet, landing in a ravine, Hartley said.

The Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team arrived at the scene and reached the boy in a rope rescue, raising him up a cliffside known as the “Endless Wall,” Hartley said.

The boy was conscious and alert when taken by ground ambulance to Charleston Area Medical Center, Hartley said. A HealthNet helicopter was put on standby, but it was diverted to a vehicle accident elsewhere.

The victim was rock climbing with a Boy Scout troop based in Stafford, Va., Hartley said.

Members of the Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team called to the scene were composed of Fayetteville, Ansted, Nuttall and Oak Hill firefighters, the Fayette County EOC said.

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