Washington Crews Struggle to Save Fall Victim

LA CENTER - Firefighters used ropes and pulleys in a dramatic, three-hour rescue Friday after a 16-year-old boy fell about 35 feet down a steep wooded cliff east of La Center.

Alex Aday had been hiking with a friend, not far from his La Center-area home, when he tumbled down the cliff along the north side of Northeast Lockwood Creek Road.

After Aday fell, his friend went for help. Rescuers were called to the scene at 5:40 p.m., said Henry Von Dem Fange, a volunteer spokesman and firefighter with Fire District 12.

The steep canyon area, which motorists on Lockwood might not suspect is so close to the tree-lined road, is just west of the intersection with 40th Avenue, one mile east of La Center.

In the early stages of the rescue, Von Dem Fange said two paramedics and two firefighters climbed down the cliff and were with Aday, who was seriously injured.

Working at the scene were about 25 fire personnel and paramedics from District 12, District 11, District 10, AMR Northwest ambulance - and a technical rescue team with members of  the Vancouver Fire Department and Fire District 6, said District 12 Chief Larry Bartel.

Finally delivered to the road strapped into a rescue basket about 8:40 p.m., Aday was taken by ambulance to a Life Flight helicopter that was waiting nearby.

He was flown to OHSU Hospital in Portland, where he was listed in serious condition in the emergency department at The Columbian's press time, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Technical cliff rescue

The cliff where the teen fell is so close to the road that rescuers parked fire engines along the shoulder, and then fastened their rope and pulley systems to the trucks, and at least one large tree.

When the first rescuers arrived, Bartel said, a paramedic climbed down the cliff.

"He had trouble getting to the patient," Bartel said.

Rescuers first considered carrying Aday downhill, and sent scouts down to the creek to see if that was possible, but the ground was too rough.

Bringing Aday uphill meant the technical rescue team was needed. Bartel said he was told the operation was so complex that four rescuers and the teen had to be fastened to two sets of ropes each, for a total of 10 rope systems.

As the rescuers began moving the teen up the cliff, lines of firefighters worked the rope and pulley systems.

Shouts of "up on black, nice and slow!" and "reset!" and "down on blue!" filled the air, relayed by voice to the rope crews on the road.

As darkness fell, it became a surreal scene of flashing red and yellow lights, portable lights placed on the ground and lights from rescuers' helmets.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m., excitement grew when an official yelled "20 feet! Two-zero!"

Soon after that, Aday was brought to the road and placed in an AMR Northwest ambulance and later the helicopter.

The teen's grandmother, Clara Aday, thanked rescuers at the scene.

"They just did so much," she said. "I really appreciate it."

She said of her grandson, "I'm glad he's alive. He's a strong boy, and he'll be fine."

"He and his friend were exploring, and that's what teenagers do, I guess," she said.

Said Fire Chief Bartel: "He was very lucky he had somebody with him. Even yelling, you wouldn't have heard him down there. I don't know whether he could have crawled out."