The man got his leg stuck in a hole and apparently drowned, according to information from county and Highlands emergency officials. The incident happened at a popular cascade, known as Bust Your Butt or Quarry Falls off U.S. 64 between Franklin and Highlands.
The incident is the second serious accident this month at a waterfall in the county.
Officials would not release the names or hometowns of the man or his son, who was described as being 11-12 years old. An emergency report named the mother of the boy as Lisa Grady. More information about the incident will be made available today after a debriefing of rescuers, said Highlands Assistant Fire Chief Ricky Bryson.
The boy was flown from Angel Medical Center in Franklin to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where he was treated and released, spokeswomen for the hospitals said.
Two fire departments, Highlands and Cullasaja Gorge, responded to a call around noon about a boy whose leg was trapped in a hole at the falls. When rescuers arrived, the boy had been freed but the father was stuck in the same area.
"There was a lot of water pressure" helping to keep him pinned, said Bryson.
The Cullasaja Gorge department brought a specially trained swift water rescue team, but still struggled to reach the man, the assistant chief said.
"He was at a place where we really couldn't get to him," he said.
Emergency personnel brought in a ladder truck and used the ladder to get firefighters above the man. They then rappelled down to him and removed him. The man was pronounced dead before he could be taken to a hospital, according to emergency services and hospital personnel.
In a recording of a 911 call, an unnamed bystander described how people were working to save the boy before emergency personnel arrived and before the father became stuck.
"Apparently the boy is stuck, like his leg is stuck. They are trying to hold his head above the water, but they can't seem to get him free," the caller said.
"It looks like his father is with him holding his head up out of the water. But I think they are running out of energy because they are in the middle of these falls," he said.
On June 16, the Highlands department also was involved with the rescue of a St. Augustine, Fla., man who fell 70 feet from Glen Falls off N.C. 106.
Jason Jackson, 16, strayed beyond a small safety fence to get a better picture when he lost his footing.
Jackson suffered broken bones and bruises.
Waterfall accidents have been deadly in Western North Carolina, with at least 12 people killed since 2001. Most have been from outside the region and unfamiliar with potential dangers. />
