A 24-year-old man fell off a 30-foot cliff in Patapsco Valley State Park Sunday afternoon, landing in a remote area of the park and sustaining injuries that required his rescue by a Baltimore County Fire Department team. It took the team an hour to reach the man and hoist him back up the cliff to a waiting State Police helicopter.
Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for Baltimore County police, said the man and his female companion were sitting atop the cliff about 4:40 p.m when he fell. He landed near the Patapsco River, but in an area that could be reached only by trail. A special search-and-rescue team decided to place the man in a litter, known as Stokes basket, and hoist him to the top of the cliff. The man was conscious and alert throughout the rescue, Armacost said.
The man was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, but his condition was not known.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly characterized the relationship between the man and woman. The Baltimore Sun regrets the error.