OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A woman who fell 20 to 30 feet down rocks near the Salmon Cascades overlook off Sol Duc Road was sent to a Seattle hospital with a head injury Sunday, Clallam County Fire District No. 2 officials said.
The woman in her 60s, who was not named by the fire district, was conscious and alert when rescue crews arrived on scene Sunday afternoon.
She was loaded onto a rescue litter, or basket, and carried less than a quarter mile to an ambulance at the Salmon Cascades parking lot, district Chief Jake Patterson said.
“The trail to the falls isn’t that far,” Patterson said in a telephone interview.
The woman was taken to Olympic Medical Center with serious injuries and was eventually transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Patterson said in a press release.
Patterson would not identify the woman, citing federal patient privacy law, so her condition at Harborview was unavailable.
“We haven’t gotten an update,” Patterson said Tuesday.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue was called at 3:53 p.m. Sunday to assist Olympic National Park personnel with the rescue.
Initial reports were unclear if a rope rescue would be needed. District 2 crews responded with technical rescue equipment and rescue litter.
Rope systems were not needed, but the woman was unable to walk back to the road due to her injuries, Patterson said.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with two ambulances, two command vehicles and eight personnel. An additional 11 personnel stood by in the Port Angeles-area district to provide coverage for any emergencies.
Olympic National Park rangers were on-scene providing patient care and assistance, Patterson said.
Salmon Cascades is a popular destination in the fall when coho salmon leap over the falls on their way to spawn upstream in the Sol Duc River, according to Olympic National Park.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
