Marin County: 90-year-old man injured after falling 40 feet off deck

By Janis Mara, Marin Independent Journal

A 90-year-old man fell about 40 feet off a deck, landing on a retaining wall, in Larkspur and was taken to the hospital in serious condition Sunday evening, officials said.

The Larkspur Fire Department got a call at about 6 p.m. from witnesses at a house at 140 Wilson Way "and found the victim where he fell from the house, with injuries including what is believed to be a broken leg," said San Rafael Battalion Chief Jeff Buscher.

"(The firefighters) went down and provided quick patient care," Buscher said. If the man had fallen a few inches to either side, he wouldn't have hit the wall and probably would have fallen another 20 feet, the battalion chief said.

The Corte Madera and Southern Marin fire departments "came to help with the physical rescue of the gentleman" as Buscher set up a command post at the end of the road, he said.

As rescuers provided medical attention to the 90-year-old, other first responders "started cutting a swath through the brush to get an avenue up to him" so a vehicle could reach him on the slope of the hill, Buscher said.

"The captains of the Larkspur companies that arrived first on the scene made good decisions and took action that led to a positive outcome," Buscher said.

Further details related to the man's identity and the cause of the fall were not available.

Contact Janis Mara via email at jmara@marinij.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/jmara.

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Marin County: 90-year-old man injured after falling 40 feet off deck