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Search and Rescue flies out injured hiker from Mount Washington

Medical team was flown in to area to assess patient Saturday, injury ‘not severe’
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Paul Berry is the search manager with Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue. File photo

Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue (CVGSAR) was called to perform a helicopter Sunday morning to help bring out an injured hiker from the Mount Washington area.

They were alerted on Saturday evening at about 6 p.m. that one person in a party of five, all in their 60s, was hurt while hiking in the area. There is no further information about the hikers at this point.

CVGSAR ran the helicopter operation from the 10km pullout on Mount Washington Road starting on Sunday morning.

“We’re just waiting to extract our patient, who was injured in Strathcona Park last night,” CVGSAR president Paul Berry said on Sunday morning. “We’re using a helicopter, for the most part, to transfer our teams in.”

He said search team members have to pack the person about 1.5km to a landing zone for the helicopter. The patient is being airlifted to the Courtenay Airpark where they will be transferred to B.C. Ambulance Service.

RELATED STORY: CVGSAR rescues injured woman near Circlet Lake

Berry said CVGSAR is not sure how the injury occurred, but it does not appear to be anything severe, probably a broken ankle, but it was enough of an injury to prevent the injured person from being able to hike out of the area. CVGSAR flew in a medical team to assess the patient and stay with them overnight until it was time to fly out Sunday morning.



mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com

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