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Mount Hood – Rockfall Helicopter Rescue

Casey Ferguson, age 27, was struck by a boulder while descending a chute just below the summit on June 14. The microwave-size rock fractured her lower leg. Three other companions managed to dodge the boulder, after a climber above them yelled, “Rock!” Ferguson’s teammates and nearby climbers applied a splint and raised her about 150 feet back to the summit, the nearest level ground. After a 911 call, American Medical Response (AMR) paramedics hiked to the summit to provide professional treatment and request an air evacuation. A Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR) team also arrived to support a ground evacuation if necessary. Eventually, a Blackhawk helicopter performed a litter hoist from an altitude of 11,300 feet and flew the patient to a Portland hospital.