‘I’m lucky to be alive’: WA teenager who fell down cliff speaks out
By Sarah Smith and Holly Thompson
The Perth teenager who was winched to safety on Tuesday afternoon after plummeting 10 metres down a cliff face has said he feels lucky to be alive.
Robert Reeves, 16, was hiking at Sixty Foot Falls with four of his friends, and had just reached the Old Barrington Quarry when he fell.
Speaking to 9 News Perth, Robert said he “got a bit too close to the edge of the cliff” trying to climb down to sit on a rock.
“As I was climbing down, dirt and rocks shot out from under me and I started plummeting down, rolling and bouncing all the way down the cliff into the water,” he said.
Robert managed to pull himself out of the water to check for injuries, which he said was likely due to adrenaline, before heading back in for his phone, which he was unable to find.
“It was a bit scary but it happened so quickly,” he said.
“I was just trying to grab onto something, but it was all loose rocks and dirt coming down with me. If there had been any thicker rocks or no water I could very possibly be dead.”
His friends found a safe route down and came to Robert’s assistance, helping to stem any bleeding and calling triple-0.
By this point, Robert said the pain had kicked in and he was trying to keep his body as still as he could.
The RAC Rescue helicopter arrived and winched Robert to safety, before taking him to Royal Perth Hospital.
“I am very lucky I’m alive, many people could have had that exact thing happen and died, but I’m lucky enough to walk away with minor injuries really,” he said.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who was helping; the nurses, the doctors, the firies, the ambos, everyone in the helicopter.”
His father Steven Reeves said he got the initial call about his son when he was at work, and he and his wife were “terrified” and had hightailed it to the hospital.
“Now we are feeling much better. He has got his sense of humour back and once we knew he was making jokes we knew he was OK,” he said.
Robert with his father at Royal Perth Hospital.Credit: 9 News Perth
Robert was left with two broken bones in his left arm, a gash on his forehead and bruising to his ribs, and said his leg was “pretty damaged.” He is also waiting on tests to see if he has any spinal injuries.
He said he was feeling optimistic about his recovery, but advised others to stay away from dangerous areas and to always hike with someone they trusted in case anything went wrong.
Robert was meant to be starting TAFE next week, looking into a career in fitness and personal training – something he will now have to postpone until he has recovered.
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