Archive for the ‘incidents’ Category

Dangerous week in the national parks

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
Several incidents over the last week highlight again how recreation in national parks can be dangerous. Although many people view parks as playgrounds, danger situations await visitors who don't pay the proper respect to Mother Nature. Here are a few of the incidents that have been reported by NPS Digest in the past week:

* A 26-year-old hiker was descending from the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park last Sunday when she fell 600 feet to her death from the Half Dome cables. A severe lightning, thunder, and rainstorm was present in the area for several hours that morning and afternoon, which likely made the granite slopes of Half Dome slick.

* A 23-year-old climber fell 50 feet on the evening of July 27th in the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. Responding park and local rescuers treated his injuries and began a carryout up to the rim of Sunset Rock in the park’s Lookout Mountain area. He was air-lifted that evening with non-life-threatening injuries – a dislocated shoulder and a shattered left foot.

* Rangers in Grand Teton National Park rescued a 20-year-old hiker who fell 1,200 feet last Friday morning and sustained critical injuries. Ryan Haymaker of Houston, Texas, was glissading down the Ellingwood Couloir on the south side of the Middle Teton when he lost control and hit a rock, causing him to flip over and continue head first down the couloir. A bystander who witnessed the fall called 911 to report the incident. Haymaker was loaded into a helicopter and flown to the Lupine Meadows rescue cache, where he was met by a team of emergency medical providers. Haymaker was stabilized at the rescue cache and then flown directly on an Air Idaho life flight to Idaho Falls. Haymaker and his companion had glissaded about a third of the way down the couloir when the incident occurred. Haymaker was glissading behind his companion when he picked up speed and passed him; shortly thereafter, he hit the first series of rocks. Haymaker was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Although he was carrying an ice axe and wearing crampons, he was unable to right himself or self arrest.

* On Sunday, July 24th, Mt. Rainier National Park dispatch received an emergency PLB (personal locator beacon) signal from a party climbing high on the Kautz Glacier route on Mt. Rainier. After determining the location of the signal, climbing rangers from Camp Muir responded on foot to find a visitor with a probable fractured tibia/fibula. The climber was injured after hitting a rock while “glissading” down a steep snow slope. A team of ten rescuers worked throughout the night to evacuate the injured climber across three miles of steep and glaciated terrain. The rescue required complex rigging techniques to complete nearly 2000 feet of roped lowering. After reaching the lower Nisqually Glacier, the team was met by seven additional rangers from Paradise who assisted with a technical hauling system and the remainder of the evacuation to the trailhead.

* A 15-year-old Boy Scout was killed in a boating accident on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon last Thursday night, and a second Boy Scout and an adult were injured. A group of scouts and adults were riding in a boat back to camp after dinner on Antelope Island. The boat, which was being operated in darkness, apparently struck a rock outcropping, throwing the boy out of the boat and fatally injuring him. The second Scout and the adult sustained injuries in the impact but were not thrown from the vessel. The Scout was flown out by Classic Lifeguard helicopter for medical attention. The adult was transported by ambulance to Page Hospital.

* Several drownings have occurred in the last several days, including one at the Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains, one in the Curecanti National Recreation Area, as well as two separate incidents on the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreation River.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in National Parks, incidents, rescue | Comments Off

Multiple incidents on the Blue Ridge Parkway keep rangers busy

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Rangers and rescue personnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway have been kept quite busy over the last couple of weeks. A slew of incidents, including climbing accidents, a suicide attempt, and a kidnapping, have been reported recently:

* On June 13th, a suicidal person operating a red Subaru near Craggy Gardens placed a burning rag into the vehicle’s gas tank and set it afire. A Buncombe County deputy on the scene tried to reach him, but the man had locked himself inside. He eventually got out of the vehicle, though, telling rangers and deputies that he just wanted to die. He was taken into custody after a brief struggle and brought to a mental health facility in Asheville. The parkway was closed temporarily while firefighters put out the blaze.

* On June 15th, Jonathan Sullivan, 20, of Tuscaloosa, AL, died after falling from the 120-foot cliff he was climbing at the Raven’s Roost Overlook at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Investigators are hoping to gather more information about what may have caused the fall.

* On the afternoon of June 18th rangers received a report of a single vehicle rollover accident near milepost 295 in the Highlands District. When they reached the accident scene they found a Honda Pilot carrying ten people – eight adults and two children – had left the roadway and gone down an embankment approximately 80 feet, striking several large trees. The impact caused the SUV to turn on its side, trapping many of the occupants inside.

Responders worked quickly to extricate the victims. The Honda’s roof had to be cut, and winches were used to lift it from those trapped inside. A rope system was then put in place to haul the victims up the steep embankment to the road in order to transport them to the hospital. One of them, the 74-year-old father of the operator, was pronounced dead after arriving at Baptist Hospital. Two passengers, a ten-year-old girl and a 43-year-old adult, were treated for minor injuries and released. The other seven were taken to intensive care with significant injuries. According to witnesses, the Honda’s passenger side tires left the pavement when it drifted off the road. The driver attempted to get the vehicle back onto the roadway but steered too sharply, causing it to go into a skid and leave the road. Personnel from the Blowing Rock Police Department and Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue, medics from Watauga County, and other park employees worked together with rangers to successfully handle a complex and difficult scene during heavy rain and high winds.

* On June 21st a 20-year-old UNC Charlotte student suffered a significant head injury after taking a 20-foot fall at Upper Falls near Graveyard Fields. Workers had to immobilize his spine and carried him out on a long spine board.

* A 42-year-old woman was found by visitors lying in a parking lot at the Boone Fork Trailhead near Grandfather Mountain State Park on the evening of Thursday, June 23rd. The visitors called 911. The woman claimed that she had been abducted outside her house earlier that day by a man wearing a ski mask and sunglasses. She told investigators that he had pointed a gun at her and forced her into her van, directing her to drive to the parkway. She said that he had then taken her into the woods, where she fought him, got away, and then walked through the woods to the parking lot where she was found. She was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The parkway was closed and a manhunt ensued that lasted into the early morning hours, but no evidence of an assailant was found. The parkway was reopened at 4 a.m. on Friday morning. An NPS special agent, working in cooperation with Charlottesville investigators, took the lead in the investigation, and the FBI opened a case on the abduction. Rangers retraced the woman’s escape route through the woods, but found little evidence. The investigation is ongoing.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in blue ridge parkway, incidents | Comments Off

Extremely Busy Memorial Day Weekend for Smokies Rangers

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
The Memorial Day Weekend was extremely busy for rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains. NPS Digest is reporting that rangers responded to a variety of incidents over the three day weekend, including eleven motor vehicle accidents (six involving motorcycles and three requiring helicopter transports), five significant EMS calls (including a cardiac arrest and a snake bite), two searches for missing hikers, and four rescue operations. Highlights included:

Saturday – Dispatch received a report of a 60-year-old man suffering from a pre-existing heart condition. He was located at the Tri Corner Knob backcountry shelter on the Appalachian Trail, with the closest trailhead nine miles away. Rangers began an evacuation risk assessment utilizing a helicopter and a carryout team, while, simultaneously, Appalachian Trail ridge runner Caleb Grey and ranger/EMT Tabbatha Cavendish began hiking to the shelter. The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded with two helicopters, one of which was capable of hoist operations. The man was lifted directly from the shelter to the helicopter and flown to a nearby airport, where he was then driven via ambulance to a hospital. He was found to be in atrial fibrillation and ultimately needed electrical cardioversion in order to establish a normal heart rhythm. Ranger Ellen Paxton served as incident commander.

Sunday – Around noon, a volunteer Appalachian Trail ridge runner notified dispatch of an abandoned backpack on the AT about a mile south of Mollies Ridge Shelter. He expressed concern that the pack might belong to a through hiker who had been reported as suffering from a possible stroke or other medical emergency. The ridge runner searched the pack at the direction of supervisory ranger KK Stuart and found several thousand dollars in cash and traveler’s checks, a wallet, and assorted backpacking supplies. He searched the surrounding area and found a 50-year-old man who was walking away from the trail. The hiker was reported to be disoriented and having difficulty walking. Rangers Kent Looney and Samuel Salter responded on horseback to assess the situation. They met the ridge runner and hiker at Mollies Ridge Shelter. They evaluated the hiker and consulted with medical control before determining that he suffered from an underlying medical issue but was not having a medical emergency. The hiker refused further assistance despite the rangers’ strong efforts to convince him to exit the backcountry.

Monday – Supervisory ranger Steve Spanyer received additional information thru a series of conversations with the above hiker’s family which led to the determination that he might be suicidal. Rangers Marc Eckert and Brad Griest were dispatched to the Appalachian Trail to search for the hiker. Eckert and Griest found him asleep at Russell Field Shelter. They watched the man throughout the night and contacted him when he awoke in the morning. Eckert and Griest were able to convince him to exit the backcountry voluntarily. They arrived at Cades Cove around noon on Tuesday. Rangers facilitated phone calls between the hiker and two family members, which resulted in him agreeing to a voluntary psychological evaluation. He was transported to Blount Memorial Hospital. The ER physician and mobile crisis counselors determined that the man was likely a danger to himself and transferred him to Lakeshore Hospital for further evaluation. Spanyer served as incident commander.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Memorial Day Weekend, Smokies, incidents, rangers, rescue operations | Comments Off

Deadly summer in Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

Friday, July 30th, 2010
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but it's been a very deadly summer in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks this year - and it's not even August yet.

Check out these headlines so far:

7/28 A mother bear and her three sow cubs went on a rampage just before dawn on Wednesday morning and killed one man and injured two others in a campground just outside of Yellowstone. Terrified campers sought shelter in their cars. Here's an interview with one of the victims on ABC News via Youtube.

7/27 A woman drowned after slipping into the Firehole River near Old Faithful.

7/21 One climber was killed and 16 others received moderate to severe injuries after a series of lightning strikes on the 13,770-foot Grand Teton. You can read more about the complex rescue operation by clicking here.

7/20 A University of Michigan student died after falling 80 feet after summiting the 12,804-foot Middle Teton

7/19 A 49-year-old woman from Utah was struck and flipped in the air by a bison in a thermal area near Old Faithful. Apparently the bison was provoked. Click here for the video of this incident that was shot by the victim.

7/14 A 65-year old man from Iowa died after losing his footing while fishing in the Yellowstone River.

6/17 A grizzly bear killed a veteran botanist in an attack just outside of Yellowstone.

6/1 A single lightning bolt injured 9 visitors on the boardwalk or on walkways around Old Faithful Geyser.

5/25 Two climbers died after the collapse of an ice column during an ice climb on a waterfall below the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Humans weren't the only victims this year. Several bears were killed as well. In two separate incidents in June, a female adult black bear and a young grizzly bear were both killed by hit and run cars.

To add insult to injury, two separate accidents in two days claimed the lives of two bears during capture attempts by park biologist. One was a young grizzly and the other a young black bear.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Grand Tetons National Park, Yellowstone National Park, bear, bison, incidents, lightning | Comments Off