Hiker in critical condition after being rescued from 50-foot fall off McAfee Knob

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - A man in his 20s is in critical condition after falling approximately 50 feet from the top of a mountain in the Masons Cove area of Roanoke County.

According to Roanoke County Fire & Rescue, crews responded around 6:00 a.m. Sunday to the McAfee Knob summit for a report of someone who fell off the mountain. Three all-terrain vehicles and around 30 fire and rescue personnel were joined by three police officers to conduct the rescue operation.

The team reached the man around 6:54 a.m. and provided aid before carrying him back up to the top of the summit. The terrain was extremely steep and rocky in the location.

The initial crew was also joined by a wilderness medicine doctor from Carilion and other rescuers who helped take the man to an all-terrain vehicle and then a waiting medical helicopter to be taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

The hiker and rescue team were off the trail around 9:30 Sunday morning.