Texas Teen Seriously Hurt After Falling From Arkansas Bluff

Texas Teen Seriously Hurt After Falling From Arkansas Bluff
Andrea Norton, 20, was on a trip for her environmental science major when she fell to her death. (BCUChargers.com)

PONCA, Ark.—Authorities say a 15-year-old Texas boy was seriously hurt after falling from a bluff in Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains, one week after an Iowa college student fell to her death in the same area.

Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler says the boy was hiking Saturday with family when he slipped and fell about 15 feet at Mule Tail Falls, about 100 miles northwest of Little Rock. The sheriff says the boy severely injured his legs and also had facial injuries.

The area is on the trail to Hawksbill Crag, a scenic overlook that’s popular with hikers and photographers.

Last week, 20-year-old Andrea Norton was with a group of college students from Sioux City, Iowa, when she fell about 100 feet off Hawksbill Crag and died.

Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler says Andrea Norton was fatally injured on last Saturday when she accidentally fell from a rock formation near Jasper, about 101 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Wheeler says Norton was with a group of college students from Sioux City, Iowa, and was reportedly re-positioning herself for a photo when she fell about 100 feet off the Hawksbill Crag, a popular hiking destination within the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest.

Wheeler says the crag is widely considered one of Arkansas’ most-photographed hiking areas, and several people have died in falls there in recent years. Also known as Whitaker Point, the rocky outcrop gets its name because it resembles a hawk’s bill.