Med-Flight 1 conducted two hiker rescue missions within 24 hours from two different Virginia mountains.
The first hoist operation came on Monday, March 31, after the National Park Service notified Med-Flight 1 of a hiker in distress on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.
The chopper flew from its base in Chesterfield approximately 80 nautical miles to the rescue site in Madison County. Lt. Greg Jones of Chesterfield Fire/EMS explained this was a time-sensitive mission as thunderstorms were expected at 5 p.m. and the call came in at about 3:40 p.m.
A crew member descended and secured the 67-year-old hiker. She was hoisted and flown off the mountain while the crew member was left behind. The patient was flown to a nearby parking area below the rescue site where she was transferred to an ambulance and taken to a hospital. Virginia State Police later reported that her injuries were non-life-threatening injuries.
Rescue 2
Less than a day later, Med-Flight 1 was dispatched to a remote hiking area in Rockbridge County called Devil’s Marble Yard, a flight of 93 nautical miles.
This time, a teenage hiker, was found with a “lower extremity” injury preventing her from moving herself to rescue. According to Russell Horne of Chesterfield Fire/EMS boulders in the area where 15 to 20 feet in some cases. An effort to rescue the girl by means other than airlift would have increased risks for her and the rescue crew.
VSP said the rescue required reconnaissance and reconfiguring the aircraft. A crew member went down to secure the hiker who was hoisted. That crew member was left on the mountain while the teen, who was from Richmond, was flown to a hospital in Central Virginia.
Med-Flight is a partnership between Virginia State Police and Chesterfield Fire and EMS.
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