Rescuers from Habersham and Rabun counties carried an injured woman to safety after she fell down a steep slope off Panther Creek Trail Saturday.
Habersham County E-911 received a call from a bystander reporting the injured woman at 5:43 p.m. on April 15. The caller told the 911 operator the victim had fallen down about a 30-foot slope just after trail marker 19, about a half mile from the falls.
First responders were paged out from Habersham County Emergency Services (HCES), Tallulah Falls Fire and Rescue, and Habersham Search and Rescue (HabSAR). Rabun County Rescue was also requested and sent personnel to assist.
Habersham units set up a command post on Camp Yonah Road at 6:04 p.m., according to HCES spokesperson Rob Moore. Roughly 25 minutes later, rescue crews entering on foot made contact with the woman, who was conscious and alert.
Moore says that because of the incident location, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources airlift was ruled out.
Crews using harnesses, ropes, and equipment accessed the patient just after 7 p.m. and got her back to the trail at 7:26 p.m. After working with the patient for about a half hour, rescuers headed out with her, reaching the ambulance a short time later.
Habersham EMS transported the patient by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
This is the first reported rescue on Panther Creek Trail since Habersham EMS installed trail markers along the 3.5 mile (one way) trail earlier this year. The markers are meant to help hikers in emergencies identify their locations when calling E-911.
Moore says the trail marker provided an important reference point for the 911 caller in this instance.
Panther Creek Park is located at 3995 Old Historic Highway 441 between Turnerville and Shirley Grove in Habersham County.
