FRANCONIA, Minn. – A three-stage rescue operation with two helicopters and ground teams pulled a man, bleeding and unconscious, from a Cannon Cliffs crevice above the St. Croix River. The man, age 74, had fallen 50 feet. This was about 2 p.m. Ground rescue squads, first on the scene, assessed the near-vertical topography and called for specialized equipment from the Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls fire departments. Using ropes and rappelling gear, paramedics reached the victim and stabilize him until the helicopter arrived to lift him out. Then a second helicopter with med-evac capabilities, took the man to a trauma center 50 miles away. The man was expected to survive. Chisago County Sheriff Thyen Brandon declined to release the man’s name or where he was from.
