5 days ago
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.
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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
