An injured hiker at Shenandoah National Park was rescued by a helicopter medical evacuation crew flying out of Chesterfield County on Monday.
Around 4:15 p.m., a Med-Flight 1 crew successfully performed a hoist rescue of a 67-year-old woman who became injured while hiking on Old Rag Mountain.
The crew included Virginia State Police pilot Curt Conlin and Chesterfield Fire and EMS members Anja Hamilton and Lt. Greg Jones.
They were notified of the hiker by the National Park Service and left their North Chesterfield base around 3:40 p.m.; thunderstorms were expected in the park area after 5 p.m.
The hiker was lifted off the mountain and flown to a nearby parking area below the rescue site. Afterward, she was transported by an ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crew member who secured the hiker was picked up after the patient transfer, and the team returned to Chesterfield.
Tuesday marked the 41st anniversary of the Med-Flight 1 program, which is part of the Virginia State Police Aviation Division.
Annually, the program responds to around 1,800 calls and transports more than 800 patients across Central Virginia.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com