A 30-year-old man was airlifted to the hospital early Wednesday after falling 60 feet from Highway 224 at the south end of Estacada.
Estacada firefighters and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene just outside Estacada city limits at about 3 a.m.
Due to poor visibility, below-freezing temperatures and steep terrain along the bank of the Clackamas River, authorities called in a technical rescue team from the Clackamas Fire District.
It took eight fire units and 20 rescue personnel more than three and a half hours to assemble and prep the needed equipment and hoist the victim to safety, officials reported.
Once pulled from the ridge, the injured man was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a waiting Life Flight helicopter for transport.
The Estacada Fire District did not disclose the victim’s condition or specific injuries but described them as severe.
One lane of Highway 224 was shut down during the operation but had reopened by 10 a.m. Wednesday.
