A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a 74-year-old injured hiker in a dramatic operation captured on video.
According to a news release and footage provided by the agency, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders were alerted on the afternoon of Sunday. Sept. 29, of a request for a medical evacuation of the hiker who fell from a bridge about 18 miles east of Brookings, Oreg.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was sent in to take part in the rescue around 4:45 p.m. local time, the Coast Guard said.
About 45 minutes later, the crew arrived at the scene. Footage released by the Coast Guard showed a rescue swimmer being sent down from the helicopter to evaluate the man’s condition. A stretcher was then lowered from the helicopter to the scene.
Later, per the footage, the stretcher carrying the injured man was brought up into the chopper, followed by the rescue swimmer.
“The aircrew then hoisted the hiker into the helicopter,” the agency said in its news release, “and transferred him to emergency medical services at Del Norte County Airport in Crescent City, California around 6:50 p.m.”
The Coast Guard said the condition of the injured hiker is unknown at the present time.
The agency was recently involved in another medevac operation this time involving an 8-year-old boy. According to a press releasefor that incident, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders were alerted about an emergency on Sept. 24.
The request came from the Royal Princess ship situated about 20 miles west of Eureka, Oreg. Crew members said the boy passenger onboard “was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed to be medevaced,” prompting an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to be summoned.
“The aircrew arrived on-scene, hoisted the passenger along with his family into the helicopter,” the agency said in their press release.
The boy, identified as Daniel, was later transported to Saint Joseph Hospital in Eureka.
In an Sept. 26 interview with Good Morning America, Daniel’s mother, Nicole Jiang, said: “The doctor in the cruise said the situation is very [much an] emergency … Daniel got [a] very high fever and the situation [grew] worse and worse.”
Daniel was reportedly in recovery at the time of the interview, following his appendix surgery.
