JUNEAU, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an injured hiker near Sitka Sunday.
The helicopter crew safely hoisted the 62-year-old woman, who reportedly suffered a hip injury sustained in a fall, and transported her to emergency medical services in Sitka for further transport to Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
Coast Guard 17th District and Sector Juneau command center watchstanders received the request for the medevac from the Sitka Fire Department Sunday afternoon and directed the helicopter crew to launch.
The helicopter arrived on scene at Harbor Mountain, four miles north of Sitka, and the rescue swimmer was deployed via hoist cable to help the injured hiker into a rescue basket and up to the helicopter.
“The wooded area the hikers were in and the lack of nearby infrastructure made the medevac a case that the Coast Guard is uniquely prepared to accomplish,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Luna, a watchstander at the 17th District command center. “Our crews’ proficiency in conducting hoisting operations and assisting injured passengers is critical for the work we do in rural Southeast Alaska.”
