Climber survives 100-foot mountain fall

PORTLAND, Ore., July 7 (UPI) -- Rescuers said a South Carolina man is recovering after falling about 100 feet down the side of Mount Hood in Oregon.

The man received head and leg injuries after losing his footing at about 10,300 feet while climbing down the mountain Sunday, The Oregonian, a newspaper in Portland, Ore., reported.

The man, aged in his 30s, was airlifted from the mountain and taken to Oregon Health & Science University, the newspaper said. Rescuers said the fallen climber was awake and communicating when he got to the medical center.

The man's climbing partners, who were a physician and a paramedic, said he tumbled down the mountain "like a rag doll" before they stabilized him and used a mobile phone to contact authorities.

"Being a doctor and a paramedic, they were able to diagnose and convey that to responders, who recognized the urgency of the situation," said Detective Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.