In the early afternoon of Oct. 4 while team members were finishing up race support for the half marathon Rugged Red race, WCSART received a 911 call for a hiker who had taken a 40-foot fall from a cliff at Muir Valley nature preserve.
As team members accessed the climber’s location near a climbing crag known as Inner Sanctum, it became immediately apparent he was in serious condition. The team requested a medical helicopter from Air Evac Lifeteam 118 West Liberty, KY and an EMS transport from Cross Medical Response to be staged at the Muir Valley floor. Upon arrival, a paramedic, two nurses and an EMT immediately began rendering care. They treated multiple traumatic injuries and packaged the climber for a short but rugged carry out. Once back to the trailhead, the team handed off the hiker to Cross Medical, which transported him to the landing zone.
This once again shows the importance of our partnership with Morgan County KY EMS to allow us to bring pre-hospital care into remote areas in our service area. WCSART thanks our friends at Powell County Search & Rescue for being on standby for additional manpower if needed.
