By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A hiker who fell approximately 100 feet into a ravine north of Packwood was hoisted out by a Coast Guard helicopter over the weekend, according to authorities.
A deputy dispatched about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday to a trail near Tatoosh Lake concluded the best way to get to the 24-year-old Astoria Ore. man was by air, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
A helicopter crew arriving around 9 p.m. from Astoria, Ore. lowered a Packwood area search and rescue team member as well as a pair of Coast Guard members to tend to the injured hiker, according to the sheriff’s office and the Coast Guard.
The helicopter couldn’t stay because of fuel limitations and another helicopter returned about 11:30 p.m., the Coast Guard reported in a news release.
The man’s uninjured hiking partner – a 21-year-old Long Beach woman – was hoisted to safety, responders said.
The injured man was hoisted [1] by basket, according to the Coast Guard. He was flown to awaiting EMS personnel in Olympia with a broken arm, broken shoulder and possible spinal injuries, according to the news release.
His name was not released.
Just a week earlier, the Coast Guard from Astoria was called upon to help rescue [2] a Cinebar woman from the banks of the Tilton River west of Morton who was stranded overnight with a dislocated shoulder from a river rafting accident.
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CORRECTION : This has been updated to remove incorrect timing reported by the Coast Guard.