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GoFundMe set up to help raise money for recovery

 

TRYON —A Tryon man was severely injured on Saturday, October 14 after a mountain climbing accident at the Gee Creek Bluffs in Delano, Tennessee.

Kevin Junge, who is an avid climber and a crag steward for the Melrose Mountain Climbing park in Tryon, fell nearly 90 feet while climbing in the Gee Creek Wilderness.

Junge joined some friends for a day of kayaking and mountain climbing according to a GoFundMe page that was recently set up to help with his medical bills.

According to the page, Junge was setting up ropes for his next climb when he plummeted down the mountain. After witnessing the fall, Junge’s friends quickly dialed 911 and located Junge approximately five minutes later.

Junge was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee after rescue teams and volunteers helped clear the path down the mountain to an accessible landing spot for a helicopter. Four technical rope lowering systems had to be set up to lower him down the steep incline, and over 50 people were involved in the rescue. Due to high winds it was impossible for the helicopter to land where the accident took place

Junge suffered a broken pelvis, broken vertebrae, broken leg and a fractured arm due to the accident.

The GoFundMe page was set up to help with medical expenses during Junge’s recovery, as well as to help support his family, which includes two young children. The GoFundMe can be found at https://gofund.me/a50f4be2.