Stone Mountain Will Make Changes After Saturday Incidents
Capacity crowd made it hard for EMS workers to transport injured guests
ROARING GAP-If you want to visit Stone Mountain State Park, there are a few new rules to follow. Officials said they’re making changes after a series of incidents caused the park to close for a few hours on Saturday.
First, there was a severe injury at Stone Mountain Falls, the highest of the three at the park. Katie Hall, Public Information Officer with North Carolina’s Division of Parks and Recreation, said the victim had to be carried out.
“Then the paramedic who carried the injured person out was injured on the way out,” Hall said. “Then a woman injured her ankle and had to be carried out immediately following that.”
The massive crowd on hand presented another challenge to EMS and park staff. As Hall explained, people continued to pour into the park, causing it to reach maximum capacity shortly after 1 p.m. While that created challenges, the bigger problem was how the people had set up.
“People [were] parked all along the park road [and] in the middle of the park road,” Hall said. “[They also] started picnicking in the middle of the park roads.”
As a result, park officials closed Stone Mountain until just before 4 p.m., as they worked to manage the crowd and the injuries. Hall said that beginning on Sunday, there will be a tighter limit placed on how many people can be in the park at one time.
“[Stone Mountain officials] will reduce the number of vehicles able to enter the park,” Hall said.
Parking will be limited to available spaces only, with no overflow allowed. Once the available spaces have been filled, Stone Mountain will be closed to any additional visitors until a spot comes open.
Understandably, park officials ask that people avoid parking in the middle of the road, as that blocks traffic. Also, they ask residents not to set up a picnic in the road, as that also creates problems for traffic.
The incident comes as North Carolina finishes the first full week of Reopening Phase I. While the ‘stay at home’ order is still in place, residents can leave for a variety of reasons, including outdoor activities. Walking, running, hiking, biking and picnicking are allowed, as long as you stay six feet away from anyone not in your household. Gatherings are still restricted to 10 people or fewer, but anyone can socialize with friends as long as they’re outdoors and remain six feet apart.
Currently, Phase II of the reopening plan is scheduled to begin May 22.
Brian Carlton is the editor for NWNC Magazine. He can be reached at brian.carlton38@gmail.com.
