A Northeast Georgia rescuer calls the mission to save a teenage girl wedged in the rocks of a White County waterfall “a miracle worth sharing.” The girl got trapped about a third of the way down Raven Cliff Falls when she fell approximately fifty feet from the top while trying to snap a photo on May 20.
“It was an extremely challenging location to get to and required a lot of gear,” says Chris Wright of the Rabun County Technical Rescue Team (TRT).
Wright was among dozens of rescuers from eighteen federal, state, and local agencies who responded to the incident northwest of Helen around 5:20 p.m. Friday.
After rappelling down to the girl, rescuers found she was wedged from the chest down in the crevice where the falls meet. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter lowered members of the Cobb County Georgia Search and Rescue (GSAR) team into the area to assist them.
“Rescue personnel worked tirelessly on freeing the lodged patient throughout the evening, says White County Fire and Emergency Management Agency Battalion Chief Josh Taylor.
After several hours, Wright says, “the situation looked grim. Through grit and determination, a multi-agency team from all over the region pulled off a miracle.”
Six hours into the operation, rescuers successfully freed the teenager. SAR team members used ropes to lift her to the top of the falls, where medics evaluated her condition. She was scratched and bruised, but her injuries appeared minor, says Taylor.
The girl hiked out of the area with rescuers assisting her and emerged from the trail at 1:34 a.m. Saturday, May 21. White County EMS transported her to the hospital.
“I experienced a miracle worth sharing,” says Wright.
“While I played a very minor role in the overall rescue, there were two lessons I was reminded of: Don’t ever quit, don’t miss the blessing,” he says. “To see the smile on her face – to know she had been given a new life – was priceless.”
“Through grit and determination, a multi-agency team from all over the region pulled off a miracle.” – Chris Wright, Rabun County TRT
Chief Taylor extends his thanks to the agencies that assisted with the rescue, including White County 911, the county fire department, EMS, Emergency Management Agency, sheriff’s office, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Other agencies included the Helen Fire Department, Hall County EMA, Rabun County EMA TRT, Cobb County TRT, Gainesville’s GSAR Task Force, Northwest Georgia’s GSAR 6 team, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, GSP Aviation, U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources law enforcement, the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Trauma Team, and Life Force 14.
In a show of community support, Walmart of Cleveland provided food for the rescuers. Taylor says the all-out effort by so many led to “the best possible outcome for the patient and rescue personnel.”
