Cape Breton teen in hospital after falling nearly 40 feet over cliff in Glace Bay

GLACE BAY, N.S. -

The rugged beauty of Cape Breton's coastline has been attracting people to the water's edge for years, but getting too close has dangerous consequences.

“From where I live, I’ve seen too many times over the years, I can look right over the water and see the choppers, the search boats out there looking for people that got too close to these cliffs. Please people, stay away from the edge of these cliffs. you don't know how dangerous they are,” urged Billy Cameron, who lives near cliffs in Glace Bay, N.S.

It's a warning Cameron is giving to others, after his 16-year-old son fell nearly 40 feet to the shoreline below.

The teen, who is also named Billy, is now in a Halifax hospital with serious injuries.

“He had a rough night last night according to my wife who is up there with him in Halifax. He was in a lot of pain last night. He broke both his feet. There's a rod placed in his spine,” said Cameron.

Glace Bay Fire Chief John Chant says the call came in around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

“From my understanding, he was there a substantial amount of time, anywhere from four to six hours,” said Chant.

Chant says special equipment and crews were required to rescue the teen and bring him back to solid ground.

“They formulated a plan; with the help of ropes and different equipment, they were able to repel down, package the victim into a basket and bring him up,” he said.

Now, the community is coming together to support the family however they can.

Glace Bay's Miner’s Village Restaurant has donated two tickets to attend a concert of the Men of the Deeps, as well as a supper for two. Tickets are also being sold for half-a-dozen lobsters.

The money from the sales will be used to assist the family, with a long road of recovery ahead.

“It’s an unexpected trip to Halifax. Billy could be there for several months. We don't know. It's pretty devastating,” said Miranda MacAulay, the fundraiser's organizer.

Cameron says he's thankful for the support, but there's one woman in particular that he's still searching for.  The woman who found his son's cellphone and heard him hollering below.

“I would love for the lady that found him to get in touch with me because I don’t know who you are. I’m so appreciative of that lady because we would have never found him,” he said

For anyone interested, tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the Miner's Village Restaurant or by an email-transfer to [e-mail] with the  password "Billy."