Injured hikers and motorists had Hope’s volunteer search and rescue team called out several times over the past two weeks.
Search and rescue manager Mario Levesque confirmed the Hope-based team rescued two injured hikers, one of which had fallen while descending Mount Ogilvie, and attended two motor vehicle accidents as well as one ambulance assist.
Saturday, July 7, rescuers assisted the BC Ambulance Service with a patient in cardiac arrest, off of Highway 5 near the old tram. “Unfortunately the patient was unresponsive to medical assistance and passed away,” Levesque stated.
Fifteen minutes after this call, crews began a search for a hiker with a broken ankle near Mehatl Creek in the Nahatlach Valley. Both Chilliwack Search and Rescue and Valley Helicopters lent support to the search: the hiker was found and transported to hospital via helicopter.
Wednesday, July 11, rescuers attended a single car accident on the Coquihalla four kilometres south of the Great Bear Snowshed. Three of the four patients were transported via ambulance with minor injuries. The fourth, not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was transported by air ambulance with a ‘serious leg injury.’
Another single vehicle crash at 4:44 a.m. on Friday, July 13, a rollover with occupants trapped at exit 170 in Hope, resulted in the occupants freeing themselves. Search and rescue was subsequently called off.
At 8:25 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, rescuers were made aware of an injured hiker on Mount Ogilvie. The hiker had broken his left leg after falling nearly eight metres during his descent.
“Due to the patient’s injury, mountainous terrain as well as the time of night, HSAR and RCMP agreed to activate the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Victoria who initiated the 442 Squadron’s Comorant helicopter Rescue Team,” Levesque stated.
By 2 a.m. the patient was rescued and flown to Abbotsford General Hospital, where he is recovering.
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