Helicopter rescues man from rock ledge near Granite Falls

Published 6:38 pm Tuesday, July 27, 2010

GRANITE FALLS — A man who became stuck about halfway up a 400 foot cliff above Granite Falls was safely plucked from the rock face by a helicopter crew this afternoon.

The man, whose identity wasn’t immediately available, was reported stranded on the cliff near the Granite Falls fish ladder about 1:15 p.m., said Chief Jim Haverfield of the Granite Falls Fire District.

A search and rescue helicopter from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office was summoned.

The man was on a ledge. The helicopter approached and lowered a crew member, who attached a cable to the stranded man and whisked him to safety.

“That was textbook, right there,” Haverfield said after the man was plucked from the ledge. “It just shows you their training pays off.”

The man was flown to nearby Mountain Way Elementary School where he was checked by emergency medical crews.