by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Late Sunday afternoon, Garretson Fire Department and Garretson Ambulance were called out to Palisades State Park for a "high-angle rescue." A female had fallen off a 60-foot cliff and was being held over 30 feet off the ground by a friend, who were both wedged on a small ledge in a crack.
Friends Gabrielle Sprinkel and Maryah Tople were out for an afternoon of fun. At one point, the fun nearly turned deadly. Sprinkel fell off the top of one of the cliffs, and landed on a small ledge over 35 feet in the air.
Tople sprang into action, climbing down after her friend, and held Sprinkel against the wall as she went in and out of consciousness. Bystanders called 911.
“We were on a platform that was built for less than two people, and there were two of us and nobody could really get to us,” Tople said to Dakota News Now.
The call had initially come in for one victim.
"There are two patients," one Garretson Fire Department rescuer said over the scanner upon arrival. Despite worries that both women would require medical attention, it was soon discovered that the second female was okay, but both would require rescue from the high ledge. Sioux Falls Fire and Rescue's high-angle team would be responsible for removing both women from the cliffs.
Garrretson Fire and Garretson Ambulance crews were first on the scene, and entered the park near the haybarn behind the Palisades' cliffs. They directed Sioux Falls Fire and Rescue's high-angle rescue team on where to go.
Sprinkel suffered from a concussion, and was transported to the hospital, but was otherwise okay.
“I owe her [Topel] my life at this point because she held me up there when I couldn’t even hold myself,” Sprinkel said.
Garretson Park Ranger Luke Dreckman stated that falls do happen off the cliffs, but aren't a common occurrence.
"There have been two major falls in the past two and a half years that I've been here," he said. Luckily, both times the victims were able to survive. However, he wanted to remind people to be safe on the rocks.
"Be aware of your surroundings, and make sure you're being careful around the edges," he said.
