PORT ALBERNI — Rescue crews picked a 55-year-old Victoria man off Mount Arrowsmith and airlifted him to St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox with serious but non-life-threatening injuries Tuesday night.
The man was hiking with another man near the ice gully on the ridge of Mount Arrowsmith on Tuesday. About 3:30 p.m., he fell and slid approximately 200 metres down an ice-encased cliff base, on an extremely steep slope.
The injured hiker was stabilized and airlifted to the hospital in Comox about 9 p.m. His lower-body injuries included a broken femur and other minor injuries, said Dave Maher, search manager of the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad. The hiker also sustained serious impact injuries to his head and upper body. Maher said the extent of those injuries were not known Wednesday afternoon.
The identity of the man was not released.
About 15 members of the Alberni rescue squad worked to stabilize and then transport the injured man. Due to the seriousness of the accident, Comox 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron from 19 Wing Comox was asked to bring in its Cormorant helicopter.
“The last search we did on Arrowsmith took 60 people and two days, so if there was a chance the helicopter could get there we decided to take it,” Maher said.
When the helicopter arrived, the Alberni rescue squad was just clearing the tree line and negotiating the ice below the man.
The injured hiker was stabilized and airlifted to the hospital in Comox at approximately 6:50 p.m.
“As luck would have it, they were able to land adjacent to where the injured man was,” said Sgt. Dan Bodden of the 19 Wing Comox. “We were able to get to him, and no hoist was needed.”
Bodden said it took 25 minutes to transport the man to a B.C. Ambulance waiting in Comox. He was then transferred by ambulance to St. Joseph’s General Hospital.
“It’s a tough hike,” Maher said. “It’s good that the weather co-operated and the helicopter was able to airlift him out.”
The rescue team helped the injured hiker’s companion and two Good Samaritans from Port Alberni who helped the hikers get down the mountain safely, Maher said.
The incident is a reminder of the importance of being properly prepared when hiking in the backcountry, Maher said. Hikers should always have all the right gear and make sure someone knows where they are going and their timeline, he said.
“In this case, they were prepared. They had all the right gear, the right knowledge, they just had a bad accident,” Maher said. “Unfortunately, things can turn from manageable to extreme in the blink of an eye.”
