Two injured in fall early Saturday
By Asher Fusco & Shaun Hittle

December 19, 2009 - Lawrence Journal World

Two 20-year-old Lawrence women were transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital early Saturday after falling from a retaining wall near the intersection of Ninth and Emery.

According to Sgt. Damon Thomas from the Lawrence Police, the two women fell over the retaining wall after climbing a chain-link fence. Thomas said they fell 15 feet.

One of the women suffered a back injury, while the other sustained a skull fracture during the incident. Thomas said the women had been consuming alcohol prior to the incident.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Division Chief Rob Kort said the incident occurred about 1:21 a.m. Seven minutes later, personnel at the scene requested an air ambulance to transport at least one person. Emergency dispatchers made multiple calls to air ambulance services but none were able to assist because of low visibility in the area.

Both patients were transported by ground ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital about 1:35 a.m. Kort said both patients were then transported to KU Medical Center.

Information regarding the patients and their conditions was not available Saturday evening.