Md. State Police Helicopter Rescues Injured Hiker In Washington County

Officials says the area at Md. Heights was not accessible via all terrain vehicles.

Md. State Police Helicopter (Photo from the Md. State Police)

Knoxville, Md (KM) An injured hiker was successfully rescued in Washington County Tuesday afternoon with the assistance of a Maryland State Police Helicopter.

Authorities say at around 3:45 PM, fire and rescue personnel were dispatched to Maryland Heights along the Potomac River across from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for a 35-year-old woman who was injured, and stranded in sub-freezing temperatures. . Officials with the Potomac Valley Fire Company determined it was too difficult to rescue the hiker because of the remote and dangerous terrain, and the area was inaccessible to all terrain vehicles.

The Maryland State Police helicopter known as Trooper Two, located at Joint Base Andrews, was requested. With the chopper hovering over the area, a trooper/flight paramedic was lowered to the ground to assess the hiker’s injuries. She was placed in a harness, and hoisted 100 feet from the side of the mountain to the helicopter.

The patient was flown  to Meritus Medical Center for an evaluation and treatment.

By Kevin McManus