A hiker fell and suffered critical injuries Thursday on a trail in the San Bernardino National Forest just west of Palm Desert, authorities said.

The “hiker down” call was received shortly after 11 a.m. in a hard-to-reach area on the Bump & Grind Trail, near the Hopalong Cassidly Loop, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

A sheriff’s helicopter was able to land near the injured hiker and airlifted him out of the area. An ambulance then transported the unidentified man to an area hospital.

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