A woman trekking along a mountain trail in the San Bernardino National Forest north of Pine Cove Wednesday suffered a leg injury that prevented her from walking out, requiring a helicopter crew to airlift her to safety.
The “hiker down” call was received at 1:34 p.m. on Black Mountain Trail, just east of Highway 243, according to the fire department.
The agency said multiple engine crews were sent to the location to initiate a search but immediately encountered challenges because the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, could not confirm exactly where she and her accompanying family member were on the trail.
The pathway courses through gorges and other precipitous terrain between the highway and Mt. San Jacinto.
A sheriff’s helicopter crew was requested from Hemet-Ryan Airport, and shortly before 3 p.m., the hiker and her companion were located. A hoist rescue was performed, and they were flown to a makeshift landing zone at the U.S. Forest Service’s Vista Grande Fire Station, where the woman was retrieved by ambulance and driven to a regional trauma center for treatment of minor injuries to one of her ankles, according to officials.
The woman’s relative was not injured.