BURKE COUNTY — A coordinated rescue effort unfolded in the rugged terrain of Pisgah National Forest on Friday, June 13, after a hiker fell and sustained lower leg injuries in the Buck Creek area, according to a release from Burke Rescue.
Burke Rescue was dispatched at approximately 1:45 p.m. and arrived on scene to find that the injured hiker was located off-trail in an especially remote section of the forest. A Burke Rescue Search and Rescue Technician/EMT reached the patient by 3:22 p.m., beginning medical assessment and providing initial care.
Additional rescue personnel from Burke Rescue and Burke EMS Special Operations made contact around 5:07 p.m., initiating Advanced Life Support care onsite. Due to the remoteness of the location, severe weather and difficult terrain, Burke County Emergency Management called for further assistance, including Mountain Rescue Teams and potential helicopter support.
At approximately 7:40 p.m., the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (SC-HART) launched a UH-72-B Lakota helicopter. Rescue technicians aboard the aircraft executed a successful pickoff extraction at 8:54 p.m. The patient was then transported by ambulance to a medical facility for further treatment. All rescuers were safely out of the forest by 10:40 p.m.
The extensive rescue operation involved support from numerous agencies, including Burke County 911, Burke County Emergency Management, Burke County EMS Special Operations, Oak Hill Fire Rescue, Long View Fire Department, Longtown Fire Department, Linville Central Rescue — MRT 1, Buncombe Rescue — MRT 3, Haywood Rescue — MRT 4, Henderson Rescue — MRT 5, Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT), South Carolina Emergency Management, South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (SC-HART).