Injury at Whatcom Falls Park a reminder that ‘people need to be aware and be careful’
A man in his 30s was injured in Whatcom Falls Park when he apparently fell near the whirlpool falls Tuesday evening, Aug. 27.
Bellingham Fire crews responded at 5:05 p.m. to Arbor Street for a medical emergency, according to the PulsePoint app.
Emergency radio broadcasts at the time said the man fell approximately 25 feet and was believed to have broken his leg.
Captain Dave Pethick told The Bellingham Herald that crews constructed a terrain belay — a rope around a tree to help rescuers prevent falls and help them lift a patient up steep terrain — so they could remove the man from the water’s edge. An aid crew from South Whatcom Fire Authority took him to the hospital for treatment.
Though cliff jumpers and other thrill-seekers are often seriously injured in the area, especially on warm, sunny days, Pethick said the man is believed to have slipped and fallen. By the time firefighters arrived, his friends had pulled him to the water’s bank.
“In general, that’s a natural area with lot of natural hazards,” Pethick told The Herald. “The fire department cautions everyone to be aware of their surroundings when they are out.”
Bellingham Fire Assistant Chief Dave Parker said the department has responded to the park 17 times in the past 12 months. Of those, Parker said seven calls were logged as traumatic injury and four were coded as falls, though he cautioned those numbers could include a child falling at the playground and that traumatic injuries could happen anywhere in the park.
“We go out there several times a year. Sometimes people get pretty severely hurt,” Pethick said, “and there have been several deaths there. ... It’s definitely a place people need to be aware and be careful.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
