By Kytja Weir
Charlotte Observer
Copyright 2007 The Charlotte Observer

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A 5-year-old child and his father fell an estimated 20 feet from a ledge at Crowders Mountain Sunday morning, leaving them both with serious injuries.

Authorities were called to the state park in Gaston County about 11:30 a.m. after some hikers found the pair near a trail. Emergency crews hiked in to rescue the two.

It appeared the father and son had been trying to return to a main trail from an unmarked path and had tried to climb a ledge, according to Gaston Emergency Medical Services. They did not have rock climbing equipment with them.

The child was unconscious when rescue crews arrived and had life threatening injuries. The father, 35, was somewhat alert but did not immediately recall the fall.

The two were flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Updates on their conditions were not immediately available.