Fall At Starved Rock

Imagine falling nearly 30 feet from a tree into a canyon and landing on your feet.  That’s what happened to a 10 year old boy from Marseilles who was hiking at Starved Rock State Park with friends.

It happened around 11:30am Tuesday at Kaskaskia Canyon.  Utica Fire Chief Dave Edgcomb says they had to walk about a mile and a half to reach the boy who had landed on sandstone and mud.  Edgcomb says the boy complained of lower back and hip pain.  Given the circumstances, they chose to have the boy flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.  The Life Flight Helicopter landed on Route 71 to get the boy.

Sgt. Robert Fraizer with the Conservation Police says the boy was with a couple of other boys in a restricted area.  He says they were trying to climb down a fallen tree to get back down.  They had an adult with them but he’s not sure he knew they were in a restricted area.  He doesn’t expect any tickets to be issued.