Pinnacles National Monument (CA)
Rescue of Injured Climber
On Wednesday, March 31st, rangers received a report of a fallen and
unconscious climber in Fern Grotto. Climber M.S. and belayer
S.F. believed that they were following the Portent route on
Discovery Wall, but started to climb back down after realizing that they
were mistaken. As they were retreating, M.S. slipped off rock about
five feet above his last piece of protection, an Alien one-inch cam. The
cam came out and M.S. tumbled approximately 30 feet to the ground and
was knocked unconscious. A nearby hiker ran down a trail to report
the fall to rangers. Responding park EMTs and First Responders assessed
M.S., applied a cervical collar, reduced and splinted an open fracture
of his left humerus, and packaged him in a litter. Eighteen staff
members and on-scene volunteers raced to evacuate the litter to the
trailhead. M.S. was then driven to the helipad, loaded into a CALSTAR
helicopter and flown to San Jose Medical Center. His injuries included a
concussion, open fracture of the left humerus, seven cracked ribs in the
front, five cracked ribs in the back, and a collapsed and punctured
lung. M.S. was put on a ventilator to assist his breathing. Two
four-inch-long metal plates and six screws were used to piece his
humerus back together. Had he not been wearing a helmet, his head
injuries would undoubtedly have been much worse. Staff members from
every division in the monument participated in the incident.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Drug Seizure
Border Patrol agents from the Comstock Station located an abandoned
load of processed marijuana just outside the park in Eagle's Nest Canyon
near Langtry, Texas, on April 4th. The drugs, located after a search of
the area by a K-9 unit, were in three bundles that were covered by rocks
and debris. Eagle's Nest Canyon is a traditional smuggling route used to
cross the Rio Grande through the park to get to nearby Highway 90. There
were no arrests. Total weight of the drugs was 236 pounds.
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.