A 15-year-old foreign exchange student was taken to Victoria General Hospital with bone fractures and head injuries after slipping off a cliff at Thetis Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said the male youth slipped off Sunnyside Cliffs and fell 40 feet, hitting the cliff face several times and landing on a ledge above the water.
Firefighters and paramedics reached the teen by rescue boat and treated him on the cliffs before returning to the main beach, where he was transported to hospital.
Hurst said the teen’s injuries are serious, but not life-threatening. Alcohol or drugs were not contributing factors in the accident, he added.
Hurst said it was the first cliff accident in two years at Thetis Lake. He said that’s due to increased presence of RCMP, bylaw and CRD Park Rangers enforcing alcohol restrictions and educating the public.
“This is the first accident this year at the lake and a reminder to all that the cliffs are dangerous and should be avoided,” Hurst said in a statement. ”
He noted that water levels at the lake are lower than normal, and the depths of water below the cliffs are unpredictable for jumping.
