Gorge extraction illustrates need for caution: Patton
A recent call to Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue illustrates the need for caution walking near water.
Fire chief Brad Patton explained that on April 3 at about 4:18pm, Elora and Fergus fire stations responded to a call for a woman who fell 20 feet into the gorge.
He said there was a group of five women walking along the Irvine River water edge when one fell, hitting her head and injuring her leg.
When the women called 911 all they knew was they were in the Elora gorge area, by a river and could see a high bridge - so it took fire crews about 30 minutes to locate the women. Once on scene, fire crews put the injured woman on a stretcher and carried her out to a waiting ambulance.
One of the complications in the rescue was that the injured woman had been in a recent car accident and sustained a concussion. “With the second head injury due to the fall those at the scene had to take more precautions,” said Patton, who added firefighters were back at their respective stations by 7:20pm. “Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue would like to remind everyone to stay clear of waterways ... banks are very slippery and water levels can change quickly without notice,” Patton added.
