St. Louis County Boy Scout helps to save father, brother after terrifying fall off cliff

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A St. Louis County Boy Scout is being applauded for his quick thinking after a family camping trip nearly proved deadly.

Louis Miklovic, 12, is a Boy Scout and has earned more than a dozen merit badges and medals during his time in Scouts. Every year, he and his family take part in a Labor Day weekend camping trip at Washington State Park, straddling Washington County and Jefferson County and encoming more than 2,000 acres of hiking trails, scenic overlooks and campsites.

“I it was dusk and I didn’t want Louis and his brother Peter to go hiking in the dark, so we headed out on the same trails we go on every year to get our hike in,” said Josh Miklovic, Louis’ father.

After hiking by a family-favorite cave, all three were walking alongside the edge of the bluff when Peter, Louis’ six-year-old brother, lost his footing near the edge.

“I grabbing Pete, putting him in a bear hug and saying, ‘we’re going down, hold on, it’ll be okay,’” said Miklovic. “Then I just waking up.”

In his effort to grab Peter, Miklovic’s momentum carried him over the side of the 80-foot cliff. He re free falling with his son in his arms, before crashing down on the ground below. Unsure of how much time ed before he regained consciousness, his first thought went to Louis.

“I’m like, where is Louis?” he said.

Unbeknownst to Miklovic, after seeing his father and brother fall, Louis ran through the woods and found his way to a roadway, where a Missouri State Parks Ranger happened to be driving by.

“I told the ranger that my dad and brother Peter fell off a cliff,” he said.

Immediately, the ranger ed his supervisor, t. Chris Crider, as both men tried to figure out where exactly the fall had taken place.

“Without Louis’ help, we weren’t going to be able to get them,” said t. Crider. “This would have been a body recovery at that point.”

Trees in the area were full of leaves, leaving the search and rescue a daunting task. However, with Louis’ ability to point to where the accident happened, rescuers saved countless hours looking for the pair, said Crider.

Peter was able to be carried to the top of the overlook, where first responders were waiting. Josh, who had suffered a severe concussion and broken back, would require a more strategic approach.

“We put him on a board and had to clear about 100 yards of brush to cut us a path to get down to the river,” said Crider. “We happened to see some locals going by on a boat and asked if we could borrow it to get Josh to an open area where we had a helicopter landing.”

After several days in the hospital, both Josh and Peter returned home to recover.

“How he communicates with others is a challenge but that day it was all clear, it was all clear,” said Miklovic. “That is 100 percent Louis at his finest.”

His communication skills can be difficult because Louis has autism. Miklovic said he’s grateful his son was able to put his Boy Scout knowledge to work to find his way out of the woods and clearly articulate to the ranger what happened, and where.

“With Louis, you don’t know,” he said. “I did not know. It’s a coin flip in any moment of any day on what could have happened with him. He had to focus, it’s a challenge for him to focus and get the help we needed and it’s great, it’s a great story for him.”

t. Crider points to Louis’ time in Boy Scouts in helping him navigate the woods.

“Seeing all his merit badges he’s earned, you can tell the kid has a lot of smarts and a lot of wits about him,” said Crider. “So his ability to navigate this terrain, find a way out of the woods and recognize the ranger was there to help him and explain the situation, it’s extremely remarkable.”

The Missouri State Park Rangers nominated Louis for the Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award due to his efforts. In September, Louis received the award, presented by Governor Mike Parson.

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