Copter Cable Breaks, Injuring 2 Rescuers

A soldier and a paramedic who had helped rescue a stranded father and son were critically injured early Saturday as a helicopter cable snapped and they fell 130 feet into a river.

“Luckily there was still a deputy on the ground. He managed to keep them from drowning and got them to shore,” said Overton County Deputy Sheriff Kameron Bates.

Spc. Sean Buckley, 23, of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., broke both legs and Chris Masiongale, 29, of the Overton County, Tenn., Ambulance Service, injured his back in the fall, officials said.

Buckley and Masiongale had helped rescue 15-year-old Joel Hayes and his father Ralph Hayes, who were stranded overnight along the Roaring River in a remote area of Middle Tennessee. The Hayeses were airlifted out of the area Saturday morning.