Cape Breton teen in hospital after falling nearly 40 feet over cliff in Glace Bay
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 Mirzz_17@hotmail.com with the password "Billy."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.