Man rescued from brink of Horseshoe Falls

A man was rescued from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, Sunday.

Emergency personnel were called to Table Rock around 6:30 p.m. in response to a man in the water, approximately 150 to 200 feet from the falls.

According to the Niagara Parks Police, the man was waist high in the water and holding on to a fallen tree branch from the river bank.

Negotiators with the Niagara Regional Police were called to the scene and at one point the man agreed to “partially adorn” a safety vest attached to a life-line from the river bank.

The male subsequently removed the safety line and leaned back towards the water and in the direction of the brink of the falls.

A member of the Niagara Parks Police high angle river team secured the male and held him until another member of the team assisted.

The male and the police officers were hoisted to safety from the river bank by emergency services personnel.

The man was transported to hospital by Niagara Emergency Medical Services.

“I am very proud of the efforts of our members and those of our partner agencies which led to this successful outcome,” said Mark McMullen, chief of the Niagara Parks Police.

“It is extremely rewarding when we see such a positive result to a very difficult situation and a life is saved. It is a testament to the specialized training our members routinely engage in.”

Late last month, the team was called into service to rescue a 54-year-old man who suffered a serious head injury after falling in the Niagara Glen.

On June 25, around 7 p.m., Niagara Parks Police, Niagara EMS and the Niagara Falls Fire Department attended the nature area on the Niagara Parkway following a 911 call and found the injured male.

Police say the man and his family were hiking in the glen along the trail system near the metal staircase access when he left the marked trail and began to climb up the headwall. The man slipped and fell, striking his head on the rocky pathway below.

Paramedics and firefighters attended to his injuries and immobilized the injured male and he was brought to street level with the rescue Davit arm in place at the Niagara Glen.

He was flown by Air Ornge to a Toronto-area hospital for treatment.