By Nita Johnson
Staff Writer
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. —
One of the latest adventure activities sent a Laurel teen to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for injuries from a Saturday afternoon accident.
According to a press release from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, a 13-year-old boy suffered severe injuries in a ziplining incident on U.S. 25, four miles south of London, near the residence of James Isom. The homemade zip line was run so children could grab onto the line and slide down to the ground. When the 13-year-old tried, the line became tangled around his neck. The child suffered severe injuries before he could be freed from the line. The child is a student at South Laurel Middle School.
The child was transported to Saint Joseph-London to a waiting helicopter at the London-Corbin airport and was airlifted by PHI to the UK Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
Ziplining is the latest trend in adventure activities and consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. The user is propelled by gravity to go from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by holding on or attaching to the cable, usually made of stainless steel. Zipline tours are often located at outdoor adventure camps or resorts, often being included on ropes courses, according to Wikipedia.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office does not identify the names of victims under age 18.
Assisting at the scene were Deputy Greg Turner, Deputy Steve Hoskins and reserve deputy David Brown. The investigation, which remains open, is being handled by Sgt. Greg Poynter.
njohnson@sentinel-echo.com
