First responders call it a freak accident.
A rock broke loose from a cliff along the Katy Trail Sunday and came crashing down onto a bicyclist’s head as he was resting nearby.
It happened around 12:30 p.m. near the Klondike Park Boat Ramp entrance to the trail, in St. Charles County. Augusta Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief, Paul Hopen, was one of the first on scene.
“The call came in as an ‘unconscious person’ on the Katy Trail,” Hopen said. “When we finally realized where the situation was at, then the patient was conscious.”
Hopen said the victim is a middle-aged man. The firefighter didn’t know much about him, but said the man was cycling with his wife on the trail when the pair took a break and sat down on a bench under the cliff. Then the large rock fell and landed on the man’s head, Hopen said.
Hopen said first responders moved the victim off the trail and got him to a medical helicopter. Hopen said he had serious injuries when he was transported to an area hospital.
“This [rest area] was obviously designed for people to sit and have fun,” Hopen said. “I mean, there [are] park benches here, and who would have ever thought that it would happen?”
Hopen wasn’t sure how the rock fell from the cliff, but guessed the warm weather and windy day helped shake loose the dirt and foundation from the trees lining the top of the rock.
The bench area is now blocked off from public access.
The victim’s name has not been released, and his current condition is unknown.