Concord man dies after falling off Bradley Falls Sunday
Published 4:22 am Monday, February 13, 2017
SALUDA – A 47-year-old man from Charlotte, N.C. died Sunday afternoon after falling approximately 120 ft. from Big Bradley Falls in Saluda, according to Polk County Emergency Management.
The man, identified as Lance Konstants Healy, had come for a hike with his two daughters.
Bobby Arledge, Polk’s emergency management director, said the emergency call came in around 4:50 p.m. and crews from Polk and Henderson County worked until 11 p.m. on the recovery.
Witnesses to the fall said the man got his foot caught in a root and lost his footing before falling.
Crews worked after dark rappelling down the falls to recover the body using a basket pulley to bring the man’s body out.
Since 2000, a total of eight people have reportedly fallen from the high cliffs, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Out of the eight reported falls only one person has survived.
Several years ago, after crews had to rescue someone at Big Bradley Falls about once a year, officials placed caution signs in the area with some signs clearly stating people have died from falling.