Chattanooga Man Saw Teens Throw Rocks From Top Of Falls

  • Friday, October 22, 2010

A Chattanooga man who was at Fall Creek Falls State Park the day after two-year-old Caleb Brown was struck by a large rock and critically injured, said he saw two young teenagers throwing rocks into the pool at the bottom of the falls.

David Miller said he and another family went to the state park on Monday - the day after the incident in which Caleb had to be carried to the top by several people taking turns and then flown by LifeForce helicopter to Chattanooga.

Mr. Miller, who is on the staff at Chattanooga Christian School, said they had gotten to the bottom of the falls when he noticed the teens tossing the rocks.

He said the youths were so far away that it was difficult to see them, but he said it appeared they were in their early teens.

Mr. Miller said he hollered up at them and they scurried away.

"I didn't think what they were doing was a good idea," he said.

He added, "I didn't know at the time about the child being hit. I assume there's no connection, but you never know."

The Van Buren County Sheriff's Office is investigating the possibility that the rock that hit Caleb was thrown instead of toppling off the cliff on its own.

The Brown family, who are from Nashville, were at the bottom of Falls Creek Falls, when the large rock came down.

A witness told of seeing two teenagers "messing around" at the top of the falls about the time the child was injured, then seeing them run off when Caleb's mother screamed after he was hit.

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