A juvenile male has reportedly fallen over Old Buttermilk Falls. The caller was panicked and told dispatch the youth didn't seem conscious and then the caller couldn't see him anymore. Le Roy police, Le Roy Fire Department and medics are responding.
UPDATE 7:02 p.m.: A responder sees the victim, 30-feet downstream "on the west (rock face) wall." He has a gash in his head and appears to be severely injured. They are calling the swift water rope rescue team to the scene.
UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: Mercy Flight is put on standby. The victim is in a deep ravine and may be difficult to reach.
UPDATE 7:11 p.m.: They are going to start clearing a path in the brush so the rope rescue team can access the location of the victim. There is another person standing by the victim attempting to help rescuers. Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia has an eight-minute ETA.
UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: Everything has to be "trucked into the area." They have the person who is with the victim on 9-1-1 dispatch and they have his number so they can get information about the victim as the rescue proceeds.
UPDATE 7:16 p.m.: The person with the victim reports he is conscious and alert and has several gashes in his head. He was unconscious for about four minutes.
UPDATE 7:19 p.m.: The victim is sitting upright and is wearing dark clothing. Old Buttermilk Falls is located on Oatka Creek at the bend of North Street Road, just east of Route 19 going out of the Village of Le Roy. It is a natural cascade that is 4-feet-tall and lies just above a crescent-shaped manmade dam. Oatka Creek itself is 15-feet high and 196-feet wide.
UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Mercy Flight will land in the roadway but can expect to wait a while until the individual can be extricated from the scene and transported.
UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Bergen Fire Department is called to the scene, nonemergency response, to provide manpower. Pavilion is called to stand by in Le Roy's fire hall. Mercy Flight has landed. The victim is no longer in the water. He is sitting on a ledge.
UPDATE 7:29 p.m.: A property owner there tells dispatch he has an ATV with a trailer and a path to the base of the falls if those are needed to help rescue the victim.
UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: A chief at the scene calls for nighttime preparations so they can maintain effectiveness if they must remain there after sunset.
UPDATE 7:45 p.m.: The media staging area is set up at the "Dump Road" and Route 19.
UPDATE 8:33 p.m.: "The first victim has been brought to the top," says a responder to dispatch. The second victim, presumably, is the person who has been by the young male's side since the incident began unfolding -- but no word on his status yet.
UPDATE 8:38 p.m.: The primary victim is said to be uncooperative with the rescuers and assistance is required (not uncommon with head-trauma patients).
UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: The second, and last, victim has been brought to the surface.
UPDATE 9:18 p.m.: Mercy Flight has been put back in service. The victim(s) will be transported via ground ambulance.
UPDATE 9:29 p.m.: The responders are packing up their gear and preparing to leave. A press conference will take place shortly.
UPDATE 9:41 p.m.: Responders are packing up and preparing to leave. Mercy medics are transporting to Strong Memorial Hospital.
UPDATE 10:03 p.m.: All responders are back in service.
Howard--which Buttermilk
Howard--which Buttermilk Falls? The Buttermilk Falls everyone knows are at the beyond the bend in North Street Rd well north of the village off the Haul Rd and are about 60 feet high. I believe The "Old" Buttermilk Falls are in the Village behind the Post Office below the dam and are about 4 feet tall.
Thanks for the clarification
Thanks for the clarification Tim. I fixed the update where I wrongly described the falls involved and referred to them as Old Buttermilk Falls. I Googled the information and not being familiar with the location and the fact that there are two different falls, put in an incorrect description. Indeed, these shown look very treacherous.
Reminds me of kids in San Diego partying on Sunset Cliffs, which is a chalky plateau overlooking the Pacific. It's really crumbly and people take tumbles down the ragged edges not infrequently. Rescuing them is dangerous, but at least there's no churning waters below.
Of course, young people are all about Carpe Diem, right?