WARRENTON, Ore. — The Coast Guard and the Navy worked together to rescue an injured hiker from the southern slopes of the Olympic Mountains.
The hiker, who reportedly suffered a broken ankle, was transported Monday by a Coast Guard Air Station Astoria MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to Olympia Regional Airport where he was met by emergency medical services for additional care. The hiker was not identified.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a request for support from the Coast Guard 13th District Command Center via the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center saying that a Navy medical ground crew, which had made its way to the hiker Sunday afternoon, was requesting an expedited medevac due to a shortage of pain medications.
Fuel limitations
A Navy helicopter crew from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island brought medical personnel to the hiker Sunday afternoon, but due to fuel limitations and crew fatigue, it was forced to leave two Navy corpsmen overnight with the patient.
At 8 a.m. Monday, the Coast Guard helicopter crew arrived on scene, but due to deteriorating weather and treeline obstacles, the helicopter refueled and returned to evaluate the situation.
At 10 a.m., the helicopter crew successfully hoisted the injured hiker without additional complications.
Petty Officer Jonathan Klingenberg, a Coast Guard public affairs officer, said pilots were not able to pinpoint the location of the rescue.
“All they knew was that they were on the south side of the [mountain] range,” he said.
Klingenberg did not know why the helicopter from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River was dispatched instead of one from Port Angeles.
He said it was likely tied to availability of helicopters and crews or the distance from Port Angeles.
“This case illustrates the importance of our partnerships with the Navy, Air Force and other first responders,” said Greg Merten, a search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River.
“With their support, we were able to successfully hoist this man from the mountain and get him to the help he needed.”
Weather on scene at the time of the rescue was reported as 5 to 10 mph winds, overcast skies and less than 1 mile of visibility.
The Coast Guard has posted a video of the hoist rescue at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Guard.
