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Injured woman flown out of Chilliwack back country

Chilliwack Search and Rescue conducted helicopter long-line rescue to transport patient
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Chilliwack Search and Rescue conducted a helicopter long-line rescue to transport patient who slipped. (Submitted photo)

Chilliwack Search and Rescue conducted a long-line helicopter rescue near Lindeman Lake Thursday morning.

A woman had been hiking with a family group Wednesday when she slipped and twisted her ankle on a popular lakeside trail in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.

“That section of the trail has quite a few rocks,” said Dan McAuliffe, manager of Chilliwack Search and Rescue (CSAR).

When it was determined the hiker would be unable to walk back to the Post Creek parking lot, the group decided to camp out overnight and try again the next morning.

But on Thursday when the hiker was still not able to put any weight on the injured ankle, one of the family group ventured out of the bush to a spot with cell service and called for help.

CSAR got the callout page at about 9 a.m.

A team member was dropped off close to the spot where the injured hiker was awaiting rescue, to explain how the short haul rescue operation would work.

“We rigged the machine with the 150-ft line,” said McAuliffe.

As part of the Helicopter External Transport System (HETS) rescue the injured person is secured with an evacuation harness.

The HETS flight, with the help of a pilot from Valley Helicopter, took about four or five minutes.

A CSAR team had attended a call for assistance in the same area on Wednesday, for another hiker who had rolled their ankle.



Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering the arts, city hall, as well as Indigenous, and climate change stories.
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