A man has died after falling off a rock ledge at Somersby Falls, west of Gosford.
Around 4:45pm Sunday, February 7, emergency services were called to the Brisbane Water National Park following reports a 23-year-old man had fallen onto rocks from a height of approximately 10 metres.
Witnesses to the accident reported that the young man was lying on his stomach to look over the falls. As he was turning to climb back to his feet he appears to have slipped and fallen to his death.
The accident occurred in front of around 20 witnesses who were enjoying the falls on the warm Sunday afternoon. One witness, Ms Natalia Bellova, who was visiting from Sydney, wrote on social media that the young man’s distraught mother was at the scene and was comforted by bystanders and other family members and friends.
Ms Bellova praised the efforts of five other young men and boys who attempted to comfort the young man immediately after the accident and who assisted the emergency workers who were the first responders by “helping to carry medical gear to the site”.
She praised “the brave tattoed boy (real hero) and other three”, who were holding him after the fall until the emergency crew arrived (within 10 minutes). She said the “lady who called triple 0 and your husband are in my warmest thoughts.”
Upon arriving at the scene, police and ambulance paramedics attended to the man, however he was pronounced dead at the scene. A report will now be prepared for the coroner, but police and paramedics said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Email, Feb 7, 2016 NSW Police media