CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – An 18-year-old man was injured after falling from a cliff Wednesday at Queens Bluff, located off the 41A Bypass in Clarksville.
Emergency crews were alerted at 5 p.m. according to Lt. Steve Warren with the Clarksville Police Department.
Christian Harrison, a senior at Montgomery Central High School, was hiking with his friends on a trail near the end of Max Ct. when he lost his footing and fell 60 feet down the cliff. He then slid another 40 feet before coming to rest near the river.
“I remember flipping a couple of times and going unconscious, and I remember waking up and going, ‘This is how I’m going to die,’” Harrison told WKRN News 2.
“The dirt slid out from underneath me and I slid for a minute then fell 30 to 40 feet just straight down, and then I tumbled backwards and did flips and junk for 60 to 70 feet,” he said.
Clarksville Fire Rescue retrieved him by boat and transported him to the Clarksville Marina where he was taken to Skyline Hospital by LifeFlight.
Harrison will have to wear a back brace and use a walker for the next few weeks. He also suffered a fractured back and broken ankle. He had surgery on his ankle Thursday and another is scheduled for next week.
“The odds were not in my favor in that situation and I honestly find myself so lucky,” he told News 2.
He said he hopes to make it to graduation next week.
“I’m so happy with how things turned out, and I’m graduating high school, and I’m going to college. My life is just getting started and I’m glad I will still get to continue my dreams,” said Harrison.
He will be attending Austin Peay State University in the fall where he will be studying to become an actor.