18-year-old hiker falls off bluff on Mowbray Mountian

An 18-year-old man fell 20 feet down a bluff off of Canyon Rim Drive on Mowbray Mountain in Soddy-Daisy, at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The unidentified man was transported to Erlanger hospital for a potential back injury, but no further information on his condition was available as of Wednesday night.

Two men were hiking along the Cumberland Trail when one fell off a bluff into a sitting position, reported Amy Maxwell, public information officer for Hamilton County Emergency Services.

Maxwell said the uninjured hiker called 911 and met first responders on the trail and led them back to where the hiker had fallen.

Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene and immediately requested additional manpower. Hamilton County Emergency Agency, Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department, Sequoyah Volunteer Fire Department and Waldens Ridge Emergency Services rope team arrived on scene, according to a press release sent after initial reports by Hamilton County Emergency Services.

Due to the fact the pair had been 8 miles into the woods and it would have taken too long for emergency service personnel to carry the man out, a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter was requested to lift the man out of the ravine. The Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed troopers found the man and were in the process of rescuing him at 5:07 p.m.

The helicopter landed at Montlake Golf Course in Soddy-Daisy, to move the man to an ambulance headed for the hospital, according to the news release.