A 17 year-old climber from Springfield, Mo., fell from a bluff Tuesday afternoon in Newton County.
He was free-climbing down a sandstone bluff near Mount Sherman when a section of rock gave way, according to a news release from Newton County Sheriff-elect Glenn Wheeler.
“Since the young man was not attached to a safety rope, he fell approximately 30 feet,” the release said.
When responders arrived, he was conscious and talking but had sustained several injuries to his leg, shoulder, face and head, according to the release. Wheeler didn’t reveal the man’s name.
The climber was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield.