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At DeSoto Falls, multiple hikers saw a woman drop from the top of the rocky falls last Saturday. She was transported via helicopter to Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
An Alabama woman has been hospitalized after a frightening fall from the top of DeSoto Falls on Saturday.
Angelique Kellum, 29, was transported via helicopter from Turner’s Corner to Northeast Georgia Medical Center after suffering severe injuries when she slipped from the top tier of the popular waterfall located on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
“She fell about 90 feet off the falls,” said Lumpkin County Emergency Services Chief David Wimpy on Monday.
It was a busy day at DeSoto and multiple hikers watched in alarm as they saw Kellum drop from the top of the rocky falls. James Hobson was one of those hikers.
“[She was] standing on the very top and she slipped and fell down from the top level and onto the second level,” he said.
He called 911 as soon as he saw the accident.
“We grabbed our phone and called an ambulance,” he said.
The remote location and treacherous terrain made for a difficult rescue as it took nearly an hour for emergency workers to reach Kellum after the initial 911 call.
“The call went out at 2:12 and at 3:09 they were actually able to locate the patient,” said Lt. Alan Roach of the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).
Once located Kellum was stabilized and carried out by emergency workers.
The rescue was a joint effort of Lumpkin County Emergency Services, Lumpkin County Fire Department, the Georgia State Patrol, the Department of Natural Resources and the LCSO.
“They got her all wrapped up and they got her out of there,” said Wimpy.
Kellum arrived at NEGMC nearly two hours after the accident.
As of Tuesday she was reportedly listed in critical condition after suffering multiple injuries.
As for the accident, Roach said he’s seen numerous life threatening incidents at the falls over the years as hikers will often venture past the barrier in search of a better view of the cascading waters.
He advises against it.
“There’s a type of moss that grows on those rocks that is very slick,” he said. “You’ll get out there and you may be in one spot where you can stand normally and you’ll hit that slicker moss and fall."
Meanwhile those who witnessed the accident took to the popular North Georgia Hiking & Adventure Facebook page as they offered prayers and words of encouragement for Kellum.
“Seeing it in person, it would be a miracle if she survived,” stated one user. “But I do believe in miracles, so I'm hopeful.”