Nashville crews rescue base jumper at rock quarry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- First responders were called out to a Nashville rock quarry Saturday night to save a base jumper.

The Nashville Fire Department said units were sent to the quarry along Whites Creek Pike, where a base jumper parachuted and landed on the ledge about 150 feet from the top.

The department posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) at 9:23 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, saying crews were removing brush from the area and preparing high-angle rescue equipment to retrieve the base jumper.

The Metro Nashville Police Department told News 2 the individual had jumped into the rock quarry and his parachute failed to open properly, but he was alert and able to communicate with crews over the phone. A police helicopter was reportedly requested to help guide first responders down to the base jumper.

At 10:08 p.m., the Nashville Fire Department confirmed high-angle rescue operations had started, with personnel working to reach the patient and lower the right equipment to safely remove him from the ledge, but crews need to work carefully to "execute this tedious process."

According to fire officials, medics were on standby just in case the base jumper was injured.

At 12:39 a.m. on Sunday, May 19, the fire department announced the patient had been retrieved safely from the rock quarry. Crews reportedly had to be lowered almost 300 feet and used "extensive rope rigging and technical rescue skill" to reach the individual.

The patient was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with multiple injuries, fire officials said. The extent of their injuries remain unknown.

No additional details have been released about this incident.