Girl Rescued After Falling Into A Crevice At Catoctin Mountain Park

She was medivaced to Children’s National Medical Center In DC.


Thurmont, Md (KM)  A 13-year-old girl was rescued Friday afternoon after falling 20-feet into a crevice at Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont.

Battalion Chief Kevin Fox with Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services says personnel from Thurmont were dispatched to the Chimney Rock area of the park just before 1:30 PM. He says the patient was conscious and complaining about her injuries.

“We were able to extricate the patient using the crews that were first arriving,” says Fox. “We utilized the Maryland State Police Helicopter Trooper 3 from Frederick to hoist the patient. From there, she was transported to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC.”

He also says the rescue operation presented a few challenges for emergency workers. “Primary, it was extremely hot. There was pretty tough terrain for our crews to get back there. The first arriving crews from Thurmont had to hike in, it’s a 1.3-mile hike in. So what we did is we set up some rehabilitation,” says Fox.

He says the girl was conscious and talking to rescuers throughout the entire operation.