Waterbury Backcountry Rescue assists with injured hiker airlifted to hospital
August 21, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti
First responders assist Kelly Houston, who fell down two flights of stairs at the Spruce Mountain fire tower. Photo courtesy of Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team.
Waterbury Backcountry Rescue assisted on a call Friday, Aug. 14, at the Spruce Mountain trailhead in Plainfield that resulted in an injured hiker being airlifted to Burlington.
Vermont State Police issued a news release after troopers from the Middlesex barracks responded to the trailhead where first responders were attending to an injured hiker who had fallen from the fire tower on top of the mountain earlier in the day.
Shortly before noon, crews from Waterbury Backcountry Rescue, Barre Town Fire Department, Plainfield Fire and Rescue, and East Montpelier Fire Department responded to the fire tower to assist Kelly Houston, 51 of Randolph, N.J., who had fallen two flights of stairs down the tower while trying to capture a video of the view, police said.
The patient had significant injuries including a leg laceration. Brian Lindner from Waterbury Backcountry Rescue explained that a paramedic on scene administered pain medications but it became evident that the treatment would not lower her pain level sufficiently for teams to be able to carry her down the mountain trail.
First responders contacted the Vermont Army National Guard to request a helicopter rescue to safely remove her from the mountain. While the chopper hovered over the summit, personnel on the ground prepared the patient for transport.
The woman was safely hoisted into the helicopter and flown to the University of Vermont Medical Center, according to state police.
A spokesman at UVM Medical Center said Houston was treated and released from the hospital.
Busy start to August
The first two weeks of August have been busy for the Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team. As part of Waterbury Ambulance Service Inc., the team responds to rescue calls from sick and injured individuals in remote locations in the Waterbury area. The team also takes part in search and rescue calls through the Mutual Aid system.
Other recent rescues:
Aug. 6, 5:24 p.m.: Backcountry Rescue was called through Mutual Aid to assist Mad River Valley Ambulance Service on a call involving a 23-year-old hiker from Massachusetts with a possible fractured ankle on the Jerusalem Trail near Mad River Glen. The patient was eventually carried out at 9:58 p.m. via the Jim Dwyer Trail to the Jerusalem Road in Starksboro. He was transported to UVM Medical Center by Bristol Ambulance.
Aug. 11, 11:29 a.m.: Backcountry Rescue was notified by Vermont State Police of a 56-year-old hiker from Georgia on Camel’s Hump requesting rescue as he felt he was suffering from heat exhaustion. The patient was eventually found on the Bamforth Ridge Trail just below the Alpine Trail junction. This was near the summit and about three miles from where he reported his position. He was provided sports drinks then assisted down Bamforth Ridge to a waiting ambulance from Richmond Rescue that transported him to UVM Medical Center at 8:30 p.m. The hiker said this was the second time he has required rescue from a remote area because of the same problem.