Video: Woman Takes Wild Ride when Helicopter Rescue Goes Wrong
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On Tuesday, a 74 year old woman took a tumble while hiking at Piestewa Peak, located in Arizona’s Phoenix Mountain Preserve. After sustaining facial, wrist, and hip injuries from the fall, she required an airlift to the hospital. The rescue took a turn for the worst when the suspended stretcher began to spin violently out of control.
“Sometimes, when we bring the helicopter up from the ground, it will start to spin. We have a line attached to the basket to help prevent that. Today, it didn't. The basket started to spin. It's something that's a known phenomenon in the hoist rescue industry, so we train for it. We did a couple of procedures to stop it, mitigate it, and be able to eventually get her into the basket” said Paul Apolinar, a chief pilot with the Phoenix Police Department, during a press conference. Aplonilar added that the Phoenix Fire Department has done 210 hoist rescues from mountains in the last six years, and this is the second time a crew has had a spinning patient.
According to Phoenix Fox 10 news, the woman did not suffer any additional injuries from the bumpy ride, but initially suffered from nausea and dizziness. It's safe to say she'll need some time to unwind.
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