PRESS RELEASE – In the early morning hours of Saturday, April 5, 2025, at approximately 2:12 AM, the Fannin County Fire Department Search and Rescue (SAR) team was activated following a distress call from Panther Creek Falls, located deep within the Cohutta Wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

The call reported a life-threatening emergency involving four campers in a remote and difficult-to-access location.

The initial 911 call was routed through Murray County, where the caller reported that a large tree had fallen directly onto a campsite.

Four young men were sleeping in hammocks at the time of the incident. One individual was reportedly trapped beneath the tree and was unresponsive.

A coordinated multi-agency response was swiftly initiated, involving 23 emergency personnel from the following agencies:

Fannin County Fire Department

Fannin County Emergency Management Agency (EMA)

Fannin County Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division

Fannin County Coroner’s Office

United States Forest Service (USFS) Law Enforcement Division

Crews required just over five hours from the time of activation to reach the remote campsite. Upon arrival, responders confirmed one fatality and one individual with minor injuries who was in stable condition.

A nearby group of two campers—a father and daughter—heard the tree fall and rushed to the site after hearing cries for help.

They provided immediate support to the injured group and remained with them throughout the incident.

After emergency teams arrived, the father and daughter later hiked out with the two uninjured campers and helped transport them back to their vehicle.

The terrain surrounding Panther Creek Falls is rugged, marked by steep inclines, dense forest cover, and extremely limited access.

The campsite was located approximately 4.2 miles from the nearest trailhead, requiring SAR teams to hike over 8.4 miles round-trip through difficult terrain, much of it in the dark.

Given the complexity of the rescue and the injured patient’s remote location, air support was requested. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources responded with a helicopter, which was able to safely extract the patient and the deceased directly from the scene. They were then airlifted to a designated landing zone, where an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance and a Coroners unit was staged. The injured individual was stabilized on-site and transported by ground to Blue Ridge Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.

The aerial extraction proved to be a critical component of the mission, significantly reducing the time required to deliver definitive care. Without air support, a ground evacuation would have demanded far more personnel, extended the duration of the operation, and increased the risk to both rescuers and the patient.

Special thanks are extended to the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division for their rapid response and provision of aviation resources. Their support was essential to the success and safety of this operation.

This incident underscores the importance of interagency coordination and the exceptional capability of our emergency response teams to operate in remote, high-risk environments.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the young men involved in this tragic and unforeseeable accident.