2 hikers rushed to hospital after Dundas peak fall
Crews rescued the pair in an hours-long rope rescue operation Friday
Two people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries after falling from the Dundas peak Friday morning.
Police say a 20-year-old man and a woman, 17, were hiking near the escarpment in Dundas. The peak is twice as high as the American side of Niagara Falls.
One of the injured hikers called 911 after falling around 8 a.m. Friday, Paramedics say. Emergency crews arrived to find the pair in separate locations.
One had fallen further than the other, Deputy Fire Chief John Verbeek explained. He had no information on the exact height of the fall but says "one report indicated at least 40 feet."
"One patient was located by firefighters who walked up a trail while the second was located by firefighters rappelling down," he added.
Firefighters set up separate high-angle rope rescues and lifted the pair to the peak where ambulances were waiting.
Update to rope rescue .. Hamilton firefighters are in the process of rescuing two patients that have fallen and are located in two separate locations ... two separate rope rescue operations are currently underway simultaneously
—@HamiltonFireDepParamedics say the pair was alert and conscious but had "injuries consistent with a fall."
Two paramedic transport crews and about 15 fire trucks worked with police on the operation to rescue the two people "safely and efficiently," Supt. Dave Thompson with Hamilton Paramedics said.
Dundas peak, a small, rocky outcropping above Hamilton's Tews Falls, is a popular place for social-media selfies.
The circumstances of what happened in Friday's rescue are not known, but the Hamilton Conservation Authority, which owns the lands, has been concerned that people in pursuit of dramatic selfies along the trail at the peak and nearby waterfalls were taking needless risks.
One week ago, a male hiker was rescued at nearby Webster Falls from the gorge, also through a high-angle rope rescue.
The authority which owns the lands around these escarpments issued a statement Friday "to remind all visitors of some safety information" in light of the two incidents.
"The Spencer Gorge Conservation Area provides safe vantage points and platforms to see Webster Falls, Tew Falls and the Dundas peak and it is important for people to stay behind the fences and barriers at these vantage points," the statement said.
It also included the following reminders:
- Stay on trails and not climb or otherwise bypass fencing
- Some natural areas and escarpment features may not be fenced. Stay at least a body length from the edge of gorges and escarpment areas.
- Adults should keep children and pets well away from these areas.
- Visitors should keep to marked trails at all times
