7-year-old Kentucky girl tumbles 30 feet from waterfall in Smokies

A sign stands at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains.  (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)
A sign stands at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

A 7-year-old girl is recovering at home in Kentucky after falling 30 feet from a waterfall Thursday in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The girl was climbing the Cataract Falls near the Sugarlands area of the park when she fell at about 11:30 a.m., said park spokesman Brent Everitt. Because the waterfall is close to the park headquarters, a ranger was on scene within two minutes of the call, Everitt said.

The girl was mostly fine except for head-to-toe cuts and a concussion, Everitt said. She was taken by ambulance to Pigeon Forge and then airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The girl's mother called rangers Friday to update them on her recovery, Everitt said.

Read more at Knoxnews.com.

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