Imagery Available: Coast Guard medevaced injured girl from Olympic National Park, Wash.

united states coast guard 

News Release   July 1, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest
Contact: 13th District Public Affairs
Office: (206) 220-7237

Imagery Available: Coast Guard medevaced injured girl from Olympic National Park, Wash.
Editors Note: Click on image to view and download high resolution version.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernie Child, an aviation survival technician from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, kneels next to an injured hiker in the Olympic National Park, Wash., July 1, 2017.   The 17-year-old hiker reportedly fell around 100 feet while hiking near the staircase of Home Sweet Home.   Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.A yellow square is displayed around Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernie Child, an aviation survival technician from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, as he kneeled next to an injured hiker in the Olympic National Park, Wash., July 1, 2017.  Child, and the rest of his air crew, later hoisted and then transported the hiker to Olympic Medical Center personnel.  Coast Guard photo illustration courtesy of Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.Petty Officer 2nd Class Wes Shinn, an aviation maintenance technician from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, sit in the cabin of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter after the air crew landed to drop their rescue swimmer off in the Olympic National Park, Wash., July 1, 2017.  The crew, made up of Shinn, the flight mechanic, Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernie Child, the rescue swimmer, and Lt. Bret Nichols and Lt. j.g. Kevan Stoeckler, the pilots, were responding to a medevac require for an injured female hiker.  Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.
The crew of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, wait after they dropped off their rescue swimmer in the Olympic National Park, Wash., July 1, 2017.  The rescue swimmer climbed the hill on the right to reach an injured hiker, who was later hoisted and transported to medical personnel.  Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.


SEATTLE — A Coast Guard aircrew medevaced an injured 17-year-old female after she fell around 100 feet while hiking near the staircase of Home Sweet Home inside the Olympic National Park, Saturday.

The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles hoisted the hiker and transferred her to Olympic Medical Center personnel.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received the medevac request from Olympic National Park rangers. The rangers already reached out to coordinators with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the agency responsible for coordinating on-land federal search and rescue activities, but the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR aircrew was already responding to a different fallen hiker.

Once on scene, the dolphin helicopter crew landed, the rescue swimmer got out and climb to the hiker. The helicopter crew then lifted back off and lowered the litter to the swimmer, who stayed with the hiker while the crew refueled.

The hiker reported having numbness on her right side and pain in her neck.

-USCG-