Latest news with #KevinSoukup
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hiker suspended 150 feet from a helicopter after plummeting into a waterfall in Northern California
A hiker who fell 30 feet down a waterfall and into a pool in Butte County had to be harnessed to the end of a 150-foot rope and pulled out by a helicopter over the Memorial Day weekend, according to authorities. The hiker, who was not identified by authorities, suffered serious injuries and could not be reach by ambulance in time, rescuers said. The man was hiking with friends near Feather River Canyon and Camp Creek Falls — near the site of the 2018 Camp fire — when he tried to take a photo of the waterfall and slipped, according to authorities. The hiker fell onto the granite rocks and over the edge of the waterfall, down a 30-foot drop into the pool below, according to Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue. The rescue team responded to the incident in Pulga and when they saw he had sustained serious injuries, decided to rely on a helicopter for the rescue. The injured man, who was conscious at the time, was put into a harness and flown while attached to the helicopter with the 150-foot rope, Soukup said. The man was flown to a landing zone near Cresta Power House and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for further medical care. The entire helicopter trip took between 30 seconds and a minute. Read more:This cliffhanger video from Riverside County has a happy ending "This is the riskiest type of rescue that you do," Soukup said. "Just by nature, helicopters are dangerous. Anytime someone suffers a traumatic injury, you look at the risk and reward and getting them out as quickly as possible via the helicopter was the right decision to make." The road getting out of the area is about three miles and an ambulance wouldn't have made it in time, Soukup said. Anytime there is a traumatic injury, if the journey is more than a 30-minute drive, you have to fly them there, he said. The rescue was a joint operation with Cal Fire and Butte County Fire. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Hiker suspended 150 feet from a helicopter after plummeting into a waterfall in Northern California
A hiker who fell 30 feet down a waterfall and into a pool in Butte County had to be harnessed to the end of a 150-foot rope and pulled out by a helicopter over the Memorial Day weekend, according to authorities. The hiker, who was not identified by authorities, suffered serious injuries and could not be reach by ambulance in time, rescuers said. The man was hiking with friends near Feather River Canyon and Camp Creek Falls — near the site of the 2018 Camp fire — when he tried to take a photo of the waterfall and slipped, according to authorities. The hiker fell onto the granite rocks and over the edge of the waterfall, down a 30-foot drop into the pool below, according to Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue. The rescue team responded to the incident in Pulga and when they saw he had sustained serious injuries, decided to rely on a helicopter for the rescue. The injured man, who was conscious at the time, was put into a harness and flown while attached to the helicopter with the 150-foot rope, Soukup said. The man was flown to a landing zone near Cresta Power House and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for further medical care. The entire helicopter trip took between 30 seconds and a minute. 'This is the riskiest type of rescue that you do,' Soukup said. 'Just by nature, helicopters are dangerous. Anytime someone suffers a traumatic injury, you look at the risk and reward and getting them out as quickly as possible via the helicopter was the right decision to make.' The road getting out of the area is about three miles and an ambulance wouldn't have made it in time, Soukup said. Anytime there is a traumatic injury, if the journey is more than a 30-minute drive, you have to fly them there, he said. The rescue was a joint operation with Cal Fire and Butte County Fire.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hiker Falls 30 Feet While Taking Photo of Waterfall. Rescuing Them Was a 'High-Risk' Mission
A hiker was rescued via helicopter after a 30-foot fall in Butte County, Calif. According to the search and rescue team, the hiker was attempting to take a photograph of a waterfall when the incident occurred Rescuers executed a "high risk" evacuation, airlifting the hiker to receive medical aidOne hiker learned a valuable lesson after they sustained a 'serious' fall in Butte County, Calif. over Memorial Day weekend. The Butte County Search & Rescue team shared stunning footage on social media of an individual being airlifted out of the Pulga area after they fell 30 feet down a waterfall, sustaining 'serious injuries' that 'required immediate extraction.' Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Search & Rescue, told McClatchy News that the fall occurred after the hiker attempted to 'get a picture of the waterfall.' The Search & Rescue team shared that the "remote location" where the hiker fell meant that "a short haul helicopter rescue was executed using a 150-foot extended rope." The team described the mission as "an advanced and high-risk method that allowed us to safely evacuate the patient from the scene." They noted that they worked alongside the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and Butte County Fire to successfully extract the hiker. In the clip shared by Butte County Search & Rescue, the hiker laid flat on their back, secured to a backboard. A member of the rescue team was physically connected to the victim as they traveled through the air on a wire over rocky terrain, a forest of trees and a waterfall. Fellow rescuers could be heard cheering in the background as the rescuer and the victim made it out of the 'remote' location. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The patient was then flown and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for 'further medical treatment,' according to the Search & Rescue team. PEOPLE has reached out to the Butte County Search & Rescue team for updates on the hiker's condition and additional details on the accident. Read the original article on People
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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Hiker trying to get photo of waterfall plunges 30 feet, California rescuers say
A hiker attempting to snap a photograph of a waterfall plunged 30 feet, leading to a two-hour-long rescue, California officials say. Butte County Search and Rescue 'responded to a serious incident' in a remote area of Pulga at about 3 p.m. on May 25, rescuers said in a May 27 Instagram post. The fall happened as the hiker trekked 'down to get a picture of the waterfall,' Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Search and Rescue, said in a May 29 email to McClatchy News. The hiker's serious injuries required immediate attention, rescuers said. Given the remote area in rugged terrain, rescuers said they evacuated the hiker from the area using a 'short haul helicopter rescue ... using a 150-foot extended rope.' A video shared by officials shows a rescuer wearing red accompanying the hiker inside a litter as a helicopter hoists the pair over the waterfall and dense trees. 'That red shirt represents one of our dedicated, all-volunteer team members—trained professionals who respond at all hours, in all conditions, to help those in need,' according to rescuers. Rescuers flew the hiker several miles away to an area near the Cresta Power House, where an ambulance crew took over caring for the hiker, officials said. Pulga is about a 95-mile drive north from Sacramento.
