LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. — A man fell to his death at Raven Rock Falls after attempting to rescue his friend who had fallen from the top of the waterfall, authorities said.
The first male fell Tuesday evening from the top of the falls at Lake Toxaway landed on a ledge about a quarter of the way down, said Lt. Terry Crow with Lake Toxaway Fire Rescue. The second man tried to climb down to help his friend but slipped and fell to the ground.
Authorities estimate the top of the waterfall to be 150 feet from the ground.
Officials suspect the man died as a result of the impact of the fall. The surviving victim was rescued and transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, S.C., via helicopter, Crow said. He was in critical condition with severe head trauma.
The names of both men, who were in their 20s, were not immediately released.
About 30 personnel from several agencies worked for two hours to rescue the survivor and retrieve the body after an initial call at 7:34 p.m. ET, Crow said.
Rescuers climbed down the mountain and onto the ledge to rescue the victim. Then, he was placed in a basket and lowered down to a ladder truck placed near the bottom of the falls, Crow said.
The body was transported to Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard, N.C., where a medical assessment was performed, he said.
Three people were at the top of the waterfall but only two were involved in the accident, Crow said. Authorities don’t know what they were doing at the top of the falls because the land is private property.
This is the first accident to occur at Raven Rock Falls in at least 30 years, officials said. They urged people to be smart when they are close to waterfalls.
“They’re beautiful to look at but dangerous to get close to” because rocks get slippery in the spray from the water, Crow said. “People ... just don’t realize how dangerous it can be getting close to the edge of these falls and how dangerous one little slip can be.”
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