ROSE VALLEY : Climber Injured After 20-Foot Fall
A 22-year-old man was airlifted to Ventura County Medical Center after he fell Wednesday from the top of Rose Valley Falls 18 miles north of Ojai.
Jesse Merkel was treated at the hospital and later released after suffering a deep gash to his forehead when he fell about 20 feet off the steep trail he was descending with two friends.
They were able to walk Merkel to their car, then drove 10 miles to the Wheeler Gorge Ranger Station to call for help about 2:20 p.m., forest firefighter Shelli Stover said.
Stover, who is also an emergency medical technician, said she was with a painting crew at the ranger station and was able to administer first aid until an ambulance and helicopter arrived.
“He had difficulty breathing,” she said.
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