A 38-year-old is lucky to be alive after he slipped and fell off a cliff at the Howick Falls, in KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday morning.
ER24 spokesperson, Ross Campbell, said the man fell approximately 40 meters from the viewing platform at Howick Falls at around 2 am on Wednesday morning.
Mark Winterboer, director of Midlands EMS, told The Witness that it is believed that the man was running from people who reportedly wanted to kill him.
“When he got to the Falls he thought the only way out was over, so he jumped over the side with the bushes and he went down. We think he got stuck in the trees and branches and that’s how he survived the fall,” said Winterboer.
He said emergency workers, who consisted of the SAPS search and rescue team, Midlands EMS and ER24, set up a rope system and went over to rescue the man and pulled him back up.
“He sustained a couple of scratches and abrasions to his leg. He didn’t appear to have had any broken bones and he is currently stable.”
Campbell said an ER24 medic suited up in his harness while SAPS cordoned off the area to the 30 or so bystanders.
"The SAPS Search & Rescue team then arrived and set up a rope system. As our medic was already suited up, they decided to lower him down to the patient to save time. The patient was assessed and found to have only suffered minor injuries. He was then attached to the medic's harness via a sling and both were lifted back up to the platform just before 8 am. He was transported to Northdale hospital by the other private emergency service on the scene for further care," said Campbell.
After being stabilised, Winterboer said the man was taken to Northdale hospital.
