Hiker Injured by Falling Ice at Kaaterskill Falls

First responders rescued a woman who was injured by falling ice at Kaaterskill Falls. Photo: Greene County Paramedics.

Originally Posted by Porcupine Soup

HUNTER―Multiple first responders were called to Kaaterskill Falls on Saturday for a hiker who was injured by falling ice.

Greene County 911 dispatched Tannersville Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Hunter Ambulance and Greene County Paramedics at 3:46 p.m. for a report of a 29-year-old woman struck in the head by falling ice at the lower falls.

Greene County Paramedics reported that the woman was unable to walk out on her own, and State Forest Rangers and the Twin Cloves Technical Rescue Team responded. A second hiker was also reported to have been injured but was able to walk out without assistance.

With crews convening at the Laurel House Road trailhead, a medic hiked about a mile to the scene along with rope team members and firefighters. Conditions were icy and temperatures below freezing, but they were able to locate and extricate the patient “after a long and arduous process,” Greene County Paramedics reported.

The woman, reported to be from New York City, was carried out to the trailhead to an awaiting Hunter ambulance. Her injuries were not reported to be life-threatening.

“This is the second utilization of these multiple resources in 2025, and the third use in under a month. Without them, our jobs would be much more difficult and we want to thank everyone who volunteers and shows up to these calls,” Greene County Paramedics stated.

Rope team members also responded on December 27 after an ice climber plummeted some 30 to 40 feet onto ledges at Kaaterskill Clove. Last Wednesday, they were called in after a tractor trailer crashed through a guard rail on the New York State Thruway in Athens, rolled 50-80 feet down an embankment and burst into flames. The driver did not survive.