A paraglider who crashed off trail on Mount Si Sunday afternoon, September 20, was rescued after a large, coordinated response involving search and rescue volunteers, fire crews, medics and a helicopter team.
The incident began around 1:40 p.m., when the injured paraglider called 911 after launchingfrom just below Haystack Rock and crashing into a tree in a remote area.
He reported that his legs were broken. Rescuers later located him on a steep, tree-covered slope north of the Little Si Trail.
King County Search and Rescue was activated shortly before 2 p.m. Teams faced a roughly two-mile hike on the Little Si Trail followed by about a mile of cross-country travel through forested undergrowth, gaining approximately 800 feet in elevation.
“The route to the coordinates was rough, bushwhacking and climbing over endless downed trees on steep terrain,” said Kim Gutierrez of King County Explorer Search and Rescue.
Members of the King County Search and Rescue Rapid Alpine Deployment team and Seattle Mountain Rescue reached him, provided initial medical care and assessed what would be needed for the evacuation. Additional teams carried in medical supplies, a litter and wheel, splints, climbing ropes and rigging equipment in case a ground evacuation was necessary.
The terrain also complicated communications, requiring radio operators in the field to relay information between rescuers and the incident command post. Drones were used to view the crash area and assess possible routes for a ground evacuation and helicopter hoist.
Rescuers set up a rope system to move him across a rocky 35- to 40-degree slope to a ledge in a scree field, where an opening in the trees provided enough clearance for a helicopter hoist.
After inserting a rescue technician and medic, the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team landed at Torguson Park to conserve fuel while crews on the mountain prepared the patient for evacuation. Members of King County 4×4 Search and Rescue helped clear the soccer field for the landing.
“After Snohawk inserted their rescue technician and medic, they needed a place to land to conserve fuel while teams on the ground prepared the subject for transport. 4×4 members helped clear the soccer field at Torguson Park and provided a safe place for them to land. The park was busy, and the helicopter drew quite a crowd,” said Rafael Ortiz of King County 4×4 Search and Rescue.
SnoHawk hoisted the paraglider at about 6 p.m. and transported him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. All rescue teams were out of the field by 8 p.m.
Sean Walker, a member of the King County Incident Support Team at the command post,described the rescue as a “complex, multi-agency, multi-team mission with lots of moving pieces.”
King County Search and Rescue reminds hikers and other backcountry users to carry the 10 essentials, call 911 immediately in an emergency and be prepared to remain safe until rescuers can reach them. Search and rescue is available 24 hours a day and is free in Washington.
*Agencies involved in the rescue included King County Search and Rescue, King County Explorer Search and Rescue, Seattle Mountain Rescue, King County 4×4 Search and Rescue, King County Ski Patrol Rescue Team, the King County Incident Support Team, Snoqualmie Fire, Eastside Fire & Rescue, Bellevue Medic One and the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team.
