BRINNON— A 21-year-old woman was carried nearly a mile through woods to safety after injuring her leg in Olympic National Forest.
Tanida Chongvilaiwan of Tigard, Ore., was hiking alone through the forest Saturday near Lena Lake in the mountains southwest of Brinnon when she fell and could not move, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Nole, who assisted in the rescue operation.
Chongvilaiwan was camping with about a dozen other people but had wandered far enough away from the campsite that her cries went unheard by her party, Nole said Monday.
But two hikers who were close to where Chongvilaiwan had fallen heard her, went to her location and attempted to administer first aid, Nole said.
It was their opinion that her leg was fractured, so they hiked to the trailhead where they were able to obtain cellphone service and called 9-1-1.
The Sheriff’s Office received the report about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, and Nole was on his way to the scene around 2 a.m., he said.
Members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Search and Rescue, Clallam County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and Kitsap County Explorer Search and Rescue responded.
The injury occurred in Jefferson County, but the trailhead is in Mason County, Nole said.
A team of rescuers transported Chongvilaiwan down from the lake in a wheeled litter, arriving at the trailhead at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
She was examined by an on-scene Mason County Aid Unit, which determined that her leg wasn’t broken.
She refused further medical attention but was advised to visit a doctor as soon as possible, Nole said.
According to her Facebook page, Chongvilaiwan is from Thailand and works as a manufacturing engineer at a dental office furniture and equipment manufacturer based in Newberg, Ore.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsula
dailynews.com.
