Helicopter rescue goes wrong as injured woman, 74, sent spinning
The hiker was said to have suffered no ill effects from the mishap – aside from dizziness.
Published
Authorities say a 74-year-old hiker whose head and face were injured in a fall on a Phoenix mountain endured a wild ride in a stretcher as she was being hoisted into a helicopter.
Phoenix Fire Department officials say the woman was treated for dizziness and nausea but suffered no other ill effects when the stretcher spun ever-faster in the backwash of the helicopter’s rotor blades.
The crew said a second line meant to prevent spinning broke. Eventually the rescue helicopter’s forward motion slowed the spinning enough to bring the woman into the cabin.
Officials said she was treated at a trauma centre and listed in stable condition.
