Officials To Begin Third Day Of Search And Recovery Mission For Man Who Fell Into Slippery Rock Creek

PORTERSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) -- Officials are set to begin their third day of search efforts to find a 38-year old man who fell into a creek over the weekend.

This will be their third day of searching for the Meadville man who slipped and fell into the Slippery Rock Creek in McConnells Mill State Park.

Officials say that this is now considered to be a 'search and recovery' mission.

The incident happened around 2:30 on Saturday afternoon.

Crews have used numerous tools to search for the man -- up high and by foot.

They've used drones, dogs and several volunteers to cover the many different parts of the creek.

According to Park Manager Dustin Drew, the man was hiking with family and friends on Saturday around 2:30 when at some point he lost his footing along a trail and fell in.

There's no railing along that part of the trail.

Since it happened, numerous agencies across Lawrence County have been actively looking.

The choppy water made it challenging for crews, though, as dive teams weren't able to get in.

This tough situation is all too familiar for crews.

"Unfortunately, it's more common than we would ever like to see. This is rough topography at McConnells Mill. It's nature and it needs to be respected," said Drew.

"Slippery rock creek is named very aptly. It can be very slippery conditions when you get off the trails," Drew said.

Officials say that it's best for people to stay on the marked and designated trails and have the proper gear and exercise caution.

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