Home Woman rescued by Med-Flight1 helicopter crew after injury hiking Old Rag Mountain
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Woman rescued by Med-Flight1 helicopter crew after injury hiking Old Rag Mountain

Crystal Graham
Med-Flight1 helicopter rescue Shenandoah national park madison county Old Rag Mountain
Photo courtesy National Park Service

A hiker was rescued Monday afternoon by a crew on Med-Flight1 in a hoist rescue on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park in Madison County.

A 67-year-old woman suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to Virginia State Police. Her name was not released.

Med-Flight 1 was initially notified by the National Park Service of the need for service and left their base in Chesterfield County at approximately 3:40 p.m. to fly the approximately 80 nautical miles to the rescue site.

The flight was staffed by Virginia State Police Aircraft Pilot Curt Conlin and Chesterfield County Fire and EMS crew members Anja Hamilton and Greg Jones.

The rescue was time sensitive as thunderstorms were expected in the area after 5 p.m.

Once the injured hiker was lifted off Old Rag Mountain, she was flown to a nearby parking area below the rescue site where she was transferred to an ambulance to be taken to an area hospital.

Following the transfer, the helicopter then picked up the crew member that had secured the patient and returned to Chesterfield County.

The Med-Flight1 program began 41 years ago today.

 

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.