An elderly man suffered serious injuries after falling 30 to 50 feet while walking on a trail at McConnells Mill State Park on Sunday, prompting a difficult rescue effort and an airlift to an Erie hospital. The fall happened around 1:15 p.m., about a half-mile from the park's well-known covered bridge.
The man suffered head and shoulder injuries in the fall, according to ButlerRadio, which first reported the accident. He was flown to an Erie hospital for treatment following the incident.
Rescue crews that responded found the location difficult to reach, and additional teams had to be called in to help get the injured man out of the gorge, the outlet reported. The report did not specify which fire, EMS or park agencies responded, nor did it detail the man's condition after arriving at the hospital.
A Park Known for Treacherous Terrain
McConnells Mill sits within the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge, a scenic but unforgiving stretch of Lawrence County known for steep drops and unstable footing. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources warns that the gorge contains smooth rocks that are often damp and slippery, along with deep pools, rapids and swift currents, and it urges visitors to stay on marked trails and use extreme caution.
The park has long drawn hikers for its dramatic scenery, but that same terrain has produced repeated close calls. A 2020 piece in the Butler Eagle noted that the park has all the expected and warranted warning signs and caution markers in place, yet still saw a handful of accidents during that hiking season alone, a trend that underscores how unforgiving the gorge can be even for cautious visitors.
Past Rescues Highlight the Gorge's Dangers
The risks at McConnells Mill are not new. The same Butler Eagle report described rescue workers putting themselves in danger during a water and rope rescue at the park, while others in their group were in the midst of a monthlong search for the body of another hiker.
In a separate incident reported by WTAE, a 38-year-old man named Jeff Hanby II fell into Slippery Rock Creek near the park while hiking with a friend. Crews searched the creek between the McConnells Mill Covered Bridge and Eckert's Bridge but had not located him as of Sunday evening in that case, and officials said water conditions were too high for divers to be used. That search is unrelated to Sunday's fall, but it reflects the same hazardous stretch of terrain that has challenged rescuers at the park before.
