Boy, 17, seriously hurt after falling 50 feet at Starved Rock

A 17-year-old boy was seriously injured Sunday afternoon after falling 50 feet while hiking at Starved Rock State Park.

Rescue crews received a call about 12:40 p.m. of a male who fell at Pontiac Canyon, according to North Utica Fire Chief Ben Brown.

The boy, who lives in Belvidere, was hiking “off-trail in an area where he shouldn’t have been” when he fell 50 feet, hitting several rocks on the way down, Brown said.

Emergency responders carried him out of the canyon to a boat, which brought him to a helicopter, Brown said. From there, he was airlifted to Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.