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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, August 23, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Rocky Mountain NP Injured Woman Rescued Following 200-Foot Tumbling Fall A hiker called park dispatch via cell phone at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 20th, to report the discovery of a seriously-injured woman near The Ledges at the 13,000-foot elevation along the Longs Peak trail. S.T., 48, of Chaska, Minnesota, had evidently taken a 200-foot tumbling fall from the False Keyhole area around 4 p.m. on the previous afternoon. It's unclear whether she tried to call for help that afternoon or whether there was anyone in the vicinity when she fell. The hikers heard her calling while heading up the trail Monday morning. Rangers left the trailhead at 9 a.m. and reached her two hours later. She was found to be conscious, with head and other injuries. A complicated high angle rescue began just before noon. Townsend was packaged in a litter and brought 200 vertical feet up to the False Keyhole. Park staff then lowered her 400 to 500 vertical feet on the north side of the False Keyhole down to the Boulderfield. Townsend was carried from there to a landing zone, then flown by a Flight for Life helicopter to a hospital. Temperatures were near freezing and it was windy at that elevation on Monday night. There were 25 park staff involved in this rescue. They were assisted by a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center and ten members of Larimer County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] Sequoia/Kings Canyon NPs Ranger/Medic Saves Life Of Men With Anaphylactic Reaction On Sunday, July 29th, Grant Grove rangers responded to a report of a 22-year-old man suffering from a severe anaphylactic reaction. The man had been stung by wasps while riding his motorcycle on the Generals Highway. He knew that he had an allergy to insect stings (he'd recently exhausted his personal Epi-pen), so he stopped and told a companion who was riding with him that he was about to have a severe allergic reaction. Upon arrival, ranger/park medic Cathy Dalrymple could not detect a blood pressure. Dalrymple administered epinephrine, then measured his blood pressure at 70/60. While waiting for the helicopter to land, she administered more epinephrine and fluids via IV. The man's condition improved greatly and he was transported to the hospital by a Skylife helicopter. [David Schifsky, Grant Grove Subdistrict Ranger] Glen Canyon NRA Family Members Injured In Rollover Accident Park dispatch was notified of a serious motor vehicle accident with an unknown number of injuries a mile north of the Lone Rock access road off Highway 89 on August 11th. Rangers Eric Scott and Craig Janicki soon arrived on scene and found that a sport utility vehicle that had been towing a camping trailer had rolled over and was lying on its roof. Many visitor had stopped to assist, including two doctors, a registered nurse, an EMT, and three retired police officers. Three of the members of a family of four - two adults and their two-year-old and one-month-old children - had been injured in the accident. The father was trapped in the SUV and had to be extricated; the two-year-old had a fractured femur, jaw and other facial bones; and the mother suffered minor bruises. The baby, who was in a car seat, was not hurt. As the patients were being triaged and treated, two Classic Lifeguard helicopters and an engine and ambulance from Big Water, Utah, headed to the scene. Ranger Scott Larson, Arizona DPS officers and Coconino County deputies also responded. The two-year-old and father were flown to the trauma center in Flagstaff. The mother and infant were taken to Page Hospital, where they were treated and released. The father's right lung had collapsed due to fractures to his ribs and he also suffered from multiple fractures to his vertebrae and his ankles. Traces of methedrine and THC were found in his blood, though he had not been driving the vehicle. The accident occurred because the trailer's brakes had not been hooked up. The mother had been driving when the trailer started to swerve. As she sped up to straighten it out, the trailer pushed the SUV off the road. Ranger Eric Scott was IC. [Lindy Mihata, Acting Chief Ranger] New River Gorge NR Arson, Stolen Car Investigation Underway On August 8th, a park employee provided rangers with some vehicle registration and insurance paperwork found along the roadside near Thurmond. Contact with the person named on the papers revealed that the car had been stolen from his driveway in Charleston the previous day. Officers and detectives with Charleston PD advised the park that they believed that the vehicle had been employed in a theft from an ATM after it was stolen. A “be on the lookout” message was distributed among rangers on August 10th, advising that the vehicle was possibly in or around the park. On August 12th, rangers responded to report that a car had been set afire and sent over a cliff in the park next to the New River. Emergency responders found a vehicle on its top, fully engulfed in flames, that matched the description of the stolen vehicle. The following day, rangers found the VIN plate among the remains and confirmed it as the one stolen from Charleston. Some investigative questioning was conducted in the nearby community of Thayer. Crimestoppers, the local clearing house for anonymous criminal tips, has been consulted for leads. A follow up investigation is being conducted by park rangers and local authorities. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). * Sequoia-Kings Canyon - Hikers discovered what are believed to the remains of a WWII airman killed in a 1942 plane crash in a remote part of Kings Canyon on the afternoon of August 17th. The discovery has been the focus of international media coverage. * Grand Teton - On July 21st, Adam Denton, son of long-time ranger Mel Denton and his wife, Rita, was killed in a car accident. During the weeks following Adam's death, the Dentons received strong support from the NPS community and have sent along a message of thanks to their "extended Park Service family." * Organ Pipe Cactus - Organ Pipe has several lateral reassignment opportunities for permanent, full-time protection rangers. * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |