Retired TV news anchor Carol Sbarge went on a hike but ended up in a fight for survival after falling into a remote ravine. Her fall almost cost her life and ended in a daring rescue from first responders.
Ultimately, she had to be airlifted out of the ravine by a helicopter. Sbarge, who worked for an ABC Atlanta affiliate for 30 years, ended up falling in a ravine in Chattahoochee National Forest. She was out hiking with her boyfriend when she took the tumble.
"So somehow, as I was kind of walking on the trail, my foot hit a rock. And before I knew it, I just went tumbling down this ravine," Sbarge told WSB-TV. She ended up suffering a broken leg during the fall. "I broke [the lower leg] in three spots."
Carol Sbarge Takes A Fall
As a result of her injuries, she ended up with a plate and eight screws installed in her leg. As you can imagine, that sounds pretty painful and not like the best time. So what exactly happened that turned Sbarge's afternoon from a stroll to a rescue? Well, according to the anchor, she and her boyfriend went hiking in the remote part of the park.
That's when she took her tumble. Unfortunately, they couldn't even call for help due to trouble with phone signal. However, another passing hiker saw they were in distress and alerted the authorities. This likely played a crucial difference in their emergency. From there, the Habersham County Emergency Services sent rescue workers to their aid. But upon realizing that they couldn't drive to them, they had to hike two miles to their location.
From there, they ended up strapping her to a board tied to a helicopter and flying her to a local hospital
"They're just special people. They're putting themselves at risk. You know, every day they don't know what kind of danger they're going to face," Sbarge said.
"It's wonderful. Means we've done our job," paramedic Phillip Kimbrell said. "We've done a good job at it and we got her to wherever needed to be. So makes me feel great all over."
"And it's amazing. I'm very appreciative," Sbarge said.
