Two hikers who were injured while trekking in the San Bernardino National Forest north of Anza Monday were rescued by emergency personnel, with one victim taken by helicopter to a trauma center for treatment of an apparent head injury.
The “hikers down” call was received at 12:15 p.m. along Little Thomas Mountain Road, near the Thomas Mountain Campground, roughly a mile west of Highway 74, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine crews, along with U.S. Forest Service personnel, found the hikers located within a couple hundred yards of one another.
Officials said one victim suffered a head injury that caused temporary loss of consciousness, while the other had unspecified minor injuries. Neither was identified.
A sheriff’s helicopter crew hoisted the seriously injured patient off of the trail and transported him to a makeshift landing zone at nearby Lake Hemet, where a Reach Air ambulance retrieved the victim at 1:20 p.m. and took him to a hospital, according to reports from the scene.
The other party was reportedly taken by ground ambulance to a medical facility for further evaluation.
The circumstances behind the injuries were not immediately known.