11 December 2023 , 16:15
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A hiker remained trapped for seven hours under a massive boulder until he was rescued with injuries.
Inyo County Search and Rescue (SAR) successfully extricated a hiker who was trapped beneath a colossal boulder on December 5, in California's Inyo Mountains. The Inyo County Sheriff's Office received the distress call in the afternoon, alerting them to a hiker trapped with his legs pinned beneath a boulder below Santa Rita Flat near Independence.
Inyo County Search and Rescue sprang into action, deploying two team members via California Highway Patrol Central Division Air Operations helicopter H40, while the rest of the team followed in vehicles, navigating challenging four-wheel-drive roads.
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The hiker's legs were trapped under the boulder and he had to be treated for his injuries (Inyo County Search & Rescue)Arriving at the scene well after dark, the SAR team found the hiker in considerable pain, his left leg wedged beneath a boulder estimated to weigh between 6,000 and 10,000 pounds on a steep hillside. Employing a system of ropes, pulleys, and leverage, the team successfully shifted the boulder enough to free the hiker, allowing them to assess and stabilize his injuries.
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Given the severity of the hiker's injuries and the difficult terrain, the decision was made to extricate him during the night using a helicopter from US Naval Air Station Lemoore. As there were no suitable landing zones near the location, a US Navy medic rappelled from the helicopter to the scene. The injured hiker and the medic were then hoisted into the helicopter and flown to Fresno for treatment at a hospital after midnight.
Once freed, the hiker was transported to a local hospital (Inyo County Search & Rescue)The mission posed numerous challenges, including the coordination of multiple agencies, navigating steep and rocky terrain, moving a massive boulder with limited resources, managing a severely injured patient during a lengthy wait for helicopter extrication, and executing a nighttime helicopter hoist in chilly December darkness, Inyo County Search and Rescue said.
In a post on Facebook, they expressed gratitude to Naval Air Station Lemoore, CHP - Inland Division Air Operations, Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Department, Independence Fire Department, and CAL FIRE San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono Unit for their crucial assistance. Inyo County Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer, unpaid professional non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Anyone who wants to support their efforts can donate at inyosar.com/donate.
The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west from Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately 70 miles (110 km) south-southeast from the southern end of the White Mountains, from which they are separated by Westgard Pass, to the east of Owens Lake.