An elderly man was rescued via Life Flight after falling about 40 feet over a cliff near the base of Sahalie Falls east of McKenzie Bridge Wednesday.
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance crews were dispatched to the area at 10:32 a.m. After making the one-hour drive to reach the area, they found the man being attended to by bystanders and suffering from non-life-threatening injuries near the base of the falls. He was unable to walk and he was extremely cold from being so close to the falls.
Lane and Linn County Search and Rescue teams were called in and facilitated a lengthy rescue involving rope systems to raise the man up the face of a cliff to the trail, where he was then carried about a half-mile back down to the parking lot.
Highway 126 was temporarily closed for a Life Flight helicopter to use a landing pad. He was transported to Riverbend Hospital in Springfield.
Rescuers say this is a good reminder to plan ahead and know your limitations to help you stay safe when recreating in area forests.
