Rescue of injured hiker airlifted from Mt. Harvard this summer detailed by crews

(CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo.) — Chaffee County Search and Rescue North (CCSAR-N) recently detailed an incident that it responded to this summer, where a hiker fell and suffered a head injury before he was rescued by crews and flown off the mountain.

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, CCSAR-N shared that on July 25 at around 1:30 p.m. Chaffee County Dispatch notified them of an injured hiker below the summit of Mt. Harvard, at an elevation of 14,100 feet. CCSAR-N were told the hiker had fallen and suffered a head injury, the hiker was also unresponsive and had difficulty breathing.

Rescuers were able to establish communications with the hiker’s partner and bystanders who had stepped in to help. CCSAR-N started mobilizing its rescuers with dirt bikes, mountain bikes, and hiking teams. Mutual aid was also requested from Chaffee County Search & Rescue South along with a Cañon City helicopter.

Rescuers were flown in, including a paramedic who assessed the hiker. However, intermittent thunderstorms delayed immediate helicopter evacuation and hiking teams continued to climb in case ground evacuation was required.

At around 7 p.m. during a brief break in the weather, the injured hiker was loaded onto the helicopter, flown off the mountain, and taken to the hospital. All rescuers were out of the field by a little after 11 p.m.

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