By Lance Coleman
Knoxville News-Sentinel
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor was pulled from the side of a slope after her motorized wheelchair went off the edge of Laurel Falls Trail on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The woman’s name and condition were not available, but National Park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said the accident was reported at 1;43 p.m.
“The injured person had fallen 20 feet down a vertical slope near the falls,” Soehn said.
Rangers and Gatlinburg EMS responded, brought the woman up on a backboard and then carried her out on a litter and took her to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Soehn said.
“I’m sure it was traumatic,” Soehn said. “That is a trail that is paved but the pavement is rough and uneven and there are steep, short sections. We don’t consider it suitable for wheelchairs and not even strollers.”
Soehn said this is a busy time of year for law enforcement rangers and park staff.
“Yesterday we had three incidents we were responding to in addition to other law enforcement activities in campground and busy roadways,” she said. “It keeps our rangers hopping.”
Soehn said staff from other divisions help in rescues. Personnel from resource management, science, resource education and facility management who have gone through safety training are called on regularly.
“We’ll send out a notice and everyone in the area who is qualified to help in rescues drop what they’re doing and we try to get these people safely out of the woods,” Soehn said.
More details as they develop online and in Friday’s News Sentinel.
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©2014 the Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tenn.)