Crawford County — A 14-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after he fell 50 to 60 feet down a cliff at the Hoosier National Forest Monday night.
Indiana Department of Natural Resource officers responded to the area of the 4000 block of South Hatfield road in Crawford County around 11:30 p.m. for a report of a missing juvenile who had not been seen for several hours.
Conservation Officers say they determined the teen had left the area on his ATV and had possibly traveled to the Hoosier National Forest to explore caves. While searching the area near Messmore Cliffs after 1 a.m. Tuesday, responders made verbal contact with the teen and learned he had fallen 50 to 60 feet from the cliffs.
The teen was rescued from the area just before 4 a.m. He was hypothermic and suffered broken bones, lower back, head and leg injuries, according to DNR.
The teen was carried from the area and airlifted to a Louisville hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown at this time.
“There is no doubt the officers’ knowledge of the area and expertise from being members of the Indiana Conservation Officer Cave Rescue Team played a huge role in locating, securing and transporting this juvenile to safety,” said Maj. Tim Beaver of DNR Law Enforcement.
