Visitor Rescued from Plunge Down Meramec Bluffs

What started as a nice stroll for one visitor after this year's Christmas meal Sunday evening ended up in a complex rescue mission for emergency responders.

Eureka Fire Deputy Chief Randy Gabel said a 40-year-old out-of-town guest was visiting his parents in The Legends subdivision this weekend. The man decided to take a walk late Sunday afternoon near the Meramec River bluffs outside of Eureka. Gabel said the man slipped off the edge of the ridge and fell toward the river into dense and unpopulated underbrush.

"It was getting dark and people in the club houses across the river could hear someone yelling 'help,' so they called 911. But at first none of us could see where he was," said Gabel.

The man had been walking on the St. Louis County side of the river and fell near Spring River Ranch Road.

A rescue search took 30 to 40 minutes just to locate the man, who authorities did not identify. Gabel said they were assisted by and Pacific Fire Protection District responders.

Gabel said they used special equipment to get and carry the man out of the riverbed area. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, and Gabel said he believed the man was released from the hospital late Sunday night.

"We're all grateful a positive outcome come out of this rescue," said Gabel.