Teen Injured After Jumping into Farmington River

A local teenager was injured after jumping off a dam into the Farmington River in Avon on Saturday evening. 

The individual struck the base of the dam wall upon landing near the edge of the river and a second teenager also needed to be rescued, according to Avon Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Trick. The two teenagers, whose names and ages have not been released, were stuck near the bottom of the wall, he said.
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The Avon Volunteer Fire Department led the rescue efforts, which took about three hours. Two Avon police officers, paramedics from American Medical Response, Canton Ambulance and Burlington Ambulance, Canton and Burlington firefighters and the Simsbury Fire Department rope rescue team also responded to the 9:38 p.m. incident. 

The multi-town rescue team made "three attempts to evacuate the injured party from river side of the incident" and could not reach "the rescue point due to low water and rocks," Trick said. Avon had a crew trying to access the individuals from the east side of the river as Burlington and Canton "launched boats as well from the west."

"The Simsbury rope team was able to lift the patient to the top of the dam and then carry them to a point that an all-terrain utility vehicle made the final trip to the end of Blanchard [Road]," Trick said. 

The injured party was retrieved and taken to an American Medical Response ambulance at 12:04 a.m. to be transported to an area hospital, Trick said. The other teen was not injured.

The Farmington River rescue took place toward the end of Blanchard Road in Avon near "an abandoned power plant," accessible by a gravel road and path near a series of old buildings," Trick wrote in an email to Patch. He said that the area "is a popular place for young people to gather."

Trick, the incident commander, said that Bruce Appell, Avon's assistant fire chief in charge of operations, "supervised the rescue operation with the assistance of Avon, Canton, and Simsbury providing the personnel." 

"Each department had officers that coordinated their efforts to achieve a successful outcome," Trick said. 

As the weather gets warmer and the summer approaches, Trick warns people to be careful along the river.

"The Farmington River is a beautiful place to visit and enjoy but caution must be exercised when exploring this area, especially at night," Trick said.