MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue personnel retrieved an injured hiker in extreme northern Arizona. Crews responded about 6:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 after learning that help was needed on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
A Search and Rescue Facebook post indicated that five friends were backpacking along the Kanab Creek when a 63-year-old male fell and injured his shoulder. The other four hikers left the injured man behind and used an Apple device and a satellite connection to summon help.
A rescue specialist and a medic arrived aboard the DPS Western Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman.
“It was very dark with tall canyon walls surrounding Kanab Creek, providing a tight and limited landing area for the helicopter,” the FB post said. “The helicopter landed about a quarter mile from the injured hiker’s location.”
The crew stabilized the man and assisted him to the chopper before he was flown to a Flagstaff hospital for treatment. Search and Rescue authorities explained that it is always good to have someone stay with an injured party rather than leaving anyone behind.
