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RALEIGH, N.C. – A distress call went out in the late afternoon hours last Friday concerning a hiker who had been injured in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
North Carolina National Guard aviation assets, in conjunction with members of the N.C. Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART), were tasked with this search and rescue mission in the rough and tumble terrain of the southern region of the Appalachian Trail on the afternoon of June 14, 2013.
“Everybody worked together to get the survivor out of there,” said Army Capt. Darrell Scoggins, a NCNG helicopter pilot who flew the mission.
NCHART is a highly specialized team consisting of North Carolina Army National Guard and North Carolina State Highway Patrol air assets matched with North Carolina Emergency Management and local emergency services personnel that perform helicopter-based rescues.
According to reports, the subject, identified as Nathan Lipsom, 53 of Cambridge, Mass., was injured when a large tree fell on him, breaking his ankle and causing internal injuries on Thursday evening.
“There were numerous trees down and there had been reports of a tornado in the area the night before,” said Scoggins.
According to the park spokeswoman, Molly Schroer, the hiker was found by a ranger during a patrol of the trail system around Cosby and Big Creek area on Friday morning after a tornado strike from the previous evening.
Schroer said a National Weather Service crew confirmed that an EF-1 tornado hit the Cosby area during the storm, which caused considerable damage and made it difficult to execute a ground rescue of Lipsom.
The rangers were patrolling the area in order to assess storm damage. Park rangers were unable to reach the injured hiker earlier in the afternoon, located on the Low Gap Trail just south of the Appalachian Trail system, due to trail conditions from the downed trees in the area.
After a conference call between officials from the NCNG and N.C. Emergency Management, the decision was made to deploy a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, along with two NCHART technicians.
“It is a collective effort, pilots fly, crew check for clearance for the helicopter and HART technicians plan the safest, best approach to extract,” said Scoggins.
In the early evening hours on Friday, the NCHART technicians were able to successfully load Lipsom on board the helicopter, using a litter, and extract him to the nearest hospital in Asheville, N.C.
“The canopy is normally thick there and it was difficult to insert,” said Scoggins. “We found an area near the survivor and inserted the HART technicians there. They were able to clear an area so we could do a pick up.”
At approximately 6:45 p.m., Lipsom was taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville to be treated for his injuries.
This most recent rescue is the fourth successful mission since last July of the assets from NCNG and NCHART working together.
The flight crew and NCHART technicians were praised by N.C. National Guard leaders for their dedication and professionalism.
NCHART also executes missions involving swiftwater/flood rescue, lost persons and urban/wilderness high angle rescues. NCHART trains on a quarterly basis in these areas in order to keep both technicians and air crews proficient.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.20.2013 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 108975 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 138 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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