A man and his 11 year old Grandson were pulled to safety on Saturday, October 26, 2019 after they fell off the side of a bluff while they were hunting during the early morning hours. Sharps Chapel Volunteer Fire Department was alerted of the incident at 7:35am on Saturday morning. SCVFD Rescue 51 and Engine 54 responded to 521 Big Sinks Road in Sharps Chapel where they met a man who was called by the hunter in need of help. Units from the Union County Rescue Squad also responded to the scene. SCVFD first arriving units began searching for the man and his grandson which were located in a bout 20 minutes after they began searching.
Apparently the man and grandson were walking along the rocky bluff when the slipped and fell down a very steep embankment. The fall was between 100 to 150 feet. The 2 hunters reportedly attempted to climb out, but got in an even worse location on the side of the steep cliff. A SCVFD Cadet managed to walk in from the side of the ridge and eventually get to the 2 victims and give a report. The older man reportedly was complaining of leg and back pains, they were unable to get out. SCVFD units set up a low angle rope recovery and lowered down a Union County EMS Paramedic to assess the victims. The 11 year old boy was harnessed and pulled to safety, he was found to have no injuries. The Paramedic and Cadet stayed with the older male until other help arrived. It was determined to wait for further assistance as the man was not suffering from life threatening injuries.
A team from Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad was called for and responded to the scene. After they arrived and set up a larger scale operation, the man and other rescuers were lifted to safety. The male victim was checked out by EMS for minor injuries and he refused transport to the hospital. Chief Upton said he was very grateful that none of the victims or rescuers received any major injuries from this incident and that everyone worked very well together throughout the nearly 5 hour operation. Upton said he would also like to thank the team from Knoxville Rescue Squad for their assistance. The area where the incident took place is on TVA Property near Monks Corner at the Powell River.