An injured teenager was rescued at Laurel River Dam by multi-agency helicopter team on July 31.
The Whitley County 911 Center received a call for assistance from a stranded 18-year-old male. Dispatchers were able to obtain the caller’s latitude and longitude, allowing emergency responders to quickly locate the caller and respond in the remote area.
After arriving at the scene, first responders were greeted by a group of three teenagers that had been hiking with the injured hiker. They explained that a group of three friends had hiked down a trail to a waterfall that empties into a small pool below. As the group attempted to cross above the waterfall, one of the hikers lost his footing and fell over the falls into the water below. The hiker landed on a rock submerged in water, injuring his knee and ankle and leaving him unable to climb out according to the Kentucky State Police.
The Corbin Fire Department deployed it’s high-angle rope rescue team and the Woodbine Search and Rescue Squad launched their inflatable Zodiac rescue boat, but the extremely low water conditions made the route impassable and those efforts were halted.
The Kentucky State Police Aircraft Support Branch was requested at approximately 7:45 p.m.
The Kentucky State Police Aircraft Support Branch, working alongside Kentucky Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 (KY TF-1), conducted a precision nighttime helicopter hoist rescue to safely extract the injured hiker from the remote location. A paramedic from Georgetown-Scott County EMS, who is qualified as a helicopter-aquatic hoist rescue specialist through KY TF-1, accompanied the flight crew to provide advanced medical care during the operation.
Following his rescue, the hiker was taken to Whitley County EMS for evaluation and transported to a local hospital.
Source: WBKO
You must be logged in to post a comment.