Man injured after tumble at Triple Falls

DUPONT STATE FOREST -- Fire and Rescue officials said a 50-year-old man was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital Thursday afternoon after he fell 30 feet from Triple Falls in DuPont State Forest.

Cedar Mountain Volunteer Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Jentsen Rackley said the name of the victim was not being released Thursday evening.

Rackley said at 3:34 p.m. his department was dispatched to Triple Falls in response to a report of a subject falling over the falls.

"The man suffered a head injury," Rackley said. "He was airlifted to Greenville Memorial."

Rackley said the man was climbing up the rocks when he hit a slick spot and fell 20 feet, hit a ledge and then fell another 10 feet.

Rackley said while the area the man was in was not restricted to visitors, DuPont State Forest recommends visitors avoid climbing near the falls.

Triple Falls is three-tiered waterfall where the Little River plunges about 120 feet. The first two drops fall into pools and are sometimes run by thrill-seeking kayakers, but the bottom drop lands largely on a rock shelf.

The pools below the bottom cascade are popular swimming spots in the summer among the thousands of visitors who explore the forest. A recently built, wide, wooden stairway leads down to the pool between the middle and bottom cascades. Signs posted along the trail warn visitors not to climb on the waterfalls, but rangers still sometimes have to tell people not to get too close to the edge.

Triple Falls, 150-foot High Falls upstream and other cascades in DuPont are known not only for their beauty but also for trails that allow visitors to get close-up looks. The 10,400-acre state forest is the most visited state forest in North Carolina, largely because of the accessibility of its waterfalls.