A man and woman from Colorado were rescued Monday evening after falling approximately 18-20 feet off a cliff next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Jefferson City.
According to reports from the Jefferson City Fire Department, crews were called just after 5:30 p.m.
A property owner in the area of Sylvan Hills Road noticed an unoccupied car parked at the end of a cul-de-sac. The car had Colorado license plates.
After going into some woods in the area, the property owner saw the man and woman lying near the tracks and called authorities.
They were in an area that would be almost directly across from the old Renns Prison.
Police, fire and ambulance personnel had to hike down to the tracks with their equipment to aid the victims.
All train traffic was stopped while the rescue operations were taking place.
They determined that the male had severe injuries and the female moderate injuries. Both had numerous cuts and abrasions, and both were believed to have suffered internal injuries. Both were conscious and talking with emergency personnel.
The names of the two victims were not released by authorities, however, they estimated they were in their late 20s or early 30s.
Due to the difficult access to the area, emergency personnel stabilized the victims at the site and then transported them out by the fire department's rescue boat, which would take them to the Noren River Access. From there, the male was taken by helicopter and the female by ground ambulance to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment.
The victims were taken from the fall site over the tracks and then put in a stretcher where firefighters took them down to a sand bar to meet the boat which took them to the access.
"I'm sorry you guys had to get out here and had have to do this," said the male victim.
"At least it's not snowing," responded one of the emergency personnel.
The two were in the boat and headed to the access by approximately 6:10 p.m.
Authorities said they were pleased with the coordinated effort of police, fire and ambulance personnel in getting the victims out in a timely manner.