By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

A young man who fell last week near Portland Head Light escaped serious injury, but it might have been much worse.

The man was climbing 80-foot cliffs – the highest cliffs in Fort Williams Park – without professional climbing equipment, said Cape Elizabeth Fire Chief Peter Gleeson. The accident occurred about 500 feet north of the lighthouse, Gleeson said. 

The unidentified man in his early 20s slid about 20 feet down the cliffs and was rescued by the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department, treated for a broken wrist and taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

“Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt too bad,” said Neil Williams, Cape Elizabeth police chief. 

Three deaths related to falls have occurred at the park in the last 40 years, said Cape Elizabeth Town Manager Mike McGovern. 

One person was swept off the shoreline by a large wave during a storm and an elderly woman died after she fell on slippery rocks about 10 years ago, McGovern said. 

The third death involved a man who went into the park at night. His body was found the following day near the cliffs. The cause of his death is unknown, McGovern said.

Twenty people from the fire department, including six members of the Water Extrication Team, responded to the fall last week, Gleeson said. 

The WET team members, all volunteers, rigged ropes that allowed firefighters and emergency medical technicians to lift the injured man to the top of the cliffs in a stokes basket, or stretcher, so he could be transported to the hospital.

When rescue workers arrived, the man was on the rocks just above the beach at low tide, according to the fire chief. 

“It was a routine operation for us. We didn’t have any extraordinary challenges with it,” Gleeson said. “It was in a place that was accessible. We had plenty of room. We were not challenged by any tide issues.”

Williams said an officer interviewed several witnesses at the scene who were friends of the injured man. The police chief also said the investigation concluded the fall was an accident and no crime was committed.

Cape Elizabeth has no ordinance against climbing on the cliffs and police officers can’t legally stop people from doing it, Williams said. Still, because of the danger, police officers advise people against climbing. 

“The town has no legal liability. The town has never been sued when someone has fallen from a cliff,”  McGovern said. 

McGovern said the town council did enact a policy in 1994 stipulating that rock climbing at Fort Williams is at the climber’s own risk. The policy was adopted to protect the town against legal action and to persuade people to avoid climbing cliffs or walking on rocks at the park, McGovern said.

If someone calls town hall and asks for permission to climb the cliffs, it is not granted, McGovern said.

While no one knows exactly how many people climb the cliffs each year, McGovern said many people walk on the rocks to get close to the ocean but only a small number actually climb the cliffs. 

Charles Wilson, a former Cape Elizabeth fire chief who worked in the department for 27 years, said he doesn’t know exactly how many fall from the cliffs each year but he guessed it was less than half a dozen. 

“It’s very seldom that we have people falling from the cliffs,” Gleeson said. 

Calls for people injured while walking on rocks near the ocean are a little more common. Gleeson said his department gets two to three calls each year for rock-related injuries at Fort Williams and occasionally at Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth.

“Considering the number of people that go in the park, it’s pretty minor,” Wilson said.

Most of the accidents occur during the day when the park is open and during the year’s warmer months, McGovern said.  

Most of the time, people are not seriously hurt, Wilson said, but he added, “Over the years, there have been a couple of serious ones.”  People walking on the rocks have suffered broken ankles, scrapes and bruises, McGovern said. 

Wilson, a member of the Fort Williams Advisory Commission, said the group has discussed discouraging people from climbing the cliffs, though it has not come up with a solution, he said.

“We have closed sections of paths closest to the most dangerous areas and there is some fencing. We also placed some railings at Battery Keyes. We close the gates during bad storms and receive angry calls as soon as we do so,” McGovern said. 

Wilson said fencing and signs don’t stop people who are determined to climb the cliffs.

“It’s very difficult to stop people from doing stupid things,” Wilson said. 

Wilson also said too much fencing would detract from the natural beauty that draws people to Fort Williams. 

“Do you ruin it for all the people that are using (the park) correctly?” Wilson asked.

Park rangers try to dissuade people from “doing bad things,” Wilson said. 

Rangers work from May to November and only when the park is open, McGovern said.  Fort Williams is open from sunrise to sunset and the park’s gates close at night.

Wilson noted that falls from cliffs are not unique to Fort Williams. He said similar incidents have occurred in Acadia National Park and other places on the coast of Maine. 

“The ocean is a powerful force. Wet rocks are slippery and sharp-edged. Most folks understand the risks when they are on cliffs or near the ocean. Sometimes their adventurous spirit clouds a clear analysis of the risks involved,” McGovern said.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.