Two Hurt in Pennsylvania After 300-foot Fall
May 26—RIVERSIDE—A hike in a treacherous wooded area turned into a cliffside rescue Monday afternoon after two Danville teens fell about 300 feet down a near-vertical slope, sustaining serious injuries and making for a tricky recovery operation in Mayberry Township, Montour County.
Jared Jordan, 17, was in serious condition at Geisinger Medical Center as of deadline Monday. There was no information the condition of Luke Maffei, 19, according to the nursing supervisor.
At the scene, Jared's mother Kim Jordan and friends of Maffei identified them as the two victims.
First responders trained in rope rescue worked for more than an hour to reach the two, lowered equipment and rescue baskets to them and then lowered the victims to a cross trail below, where they were put on all-terrain vehicles and taken to waiting ambulances on Roaring Creek Road.
A medic at the scene able to reach the teens said Jordan was regaining consciousness after the fall, while Maffei was injured but responsive. Both went to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville; their conditions were unknown as of deadline Monday.
Maffei used his cellphone to call his friend Mackenzie Wertman, 18, at about 3:20 p.m., she said. He told her to get help, saying both he and Jordan had fallen down the slope and were hurt. Wertman was among those at the scene and was not hiking with them.
Kim Jordan paced frantically at the scene Monday, awaiting word about her son's condition. She said she was told the two were hiking and fell down the side of the cliff.
The incident occurred at what is known as Beaver Dam or Zen Rock, a steep, wooded area off of Sharp Ridge Road nearly nine miles southeast of Danville. A thin, makeshift trail about 30 feet from the road leads sharply downhill to a slate protrusion that offers a stunning view of the vista. It is believed Jordan and Maffei were trying to get to that protrusion when they fell.
"It's known around town this spot is dangerous. Look at this," said Chief Nick Fowler of the Southside Fire Company No. 1 of Riverside, noting the steep drop and unsteady ground, which contains shale that breaks off easily underfoot. Rescues for fall victims have happened at least twice in the last two years, Fowler said.
Southside responded along with Washington Fire and Hose and Continental Fire Company, both of Danville. State police at Stonington also came to the scene.
About a dozen first responders trained in rope rescue worked for more than an hour to get to Jordan and Maffei. Dr. Frank Maffei, Luke's father and director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Janet Weis Children's Hospital, climbed up to the spot from the bottom to reach the teens.
Both Jordan and Maffei had hiked the area before, said Brett Bergerstock, 19, of Danville, a friend at the scene who also has done the hike.
"It's a dangerous area. I told them before this is treacherous," Bergerstock said. "People come back here all the time, but most people who live here don't like the ledge."
Copyright 2015 - The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
