Illinois Teen Falls 150 Feet Off Cliff

May 31, 2011
A quick day hike to the top of Salt Lick Point in Southern Illinois, turned into an emergency rescue after a teenager fell over 150 feet off the side of a cliff. Looking out over the farmland from high atop the cliff, on a warm sunny day with good friends was just where the boy wanted to be yesterday afternoon. He stepped out to the ledge to snap a picture so he could remember the moment. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way and he began the seemingly endless fall.
According to KDSK Channel 5, it took ten rescuers from several agencies around two hours to get the teen down from the bluff and to a helicopter so he could be airlifted to a local hospital for treatment to head and leg injuries.
The Valmeyer Fire Chief did not seem surprised by the accident when he was quoted as saying, “We’ve been expecting this for quite awhile. People don’t realize this cliff how it’s made. We were afraid it was going to happen and it did.”
Why were signs not posted warning hikers of the dangerous cliffs? Why were guardrails not installed near the area? It seems officials may have known of the problem and did nothing to solve it. The Illinois personal injury lawyers who handle slip and fall and brain injury cases for Cofman Townsley say that proving fault is the key to a case like this. See what is needed to prove fault here.