VSP-NR: Med-Flight-1 Rescues Hiker in Augusta County

On 5:23 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 24, 2024), members of the Virginia State Police Med Flight -1 team responded to a call for a fallen hiker in Augusta County.
The hiker, a 20-year old female, sustained serious back injuries after jumping into the Saint Mary’s River from a cliff along the Saint Mary’s Falls Trail.
For this rescue mission, the Med-Flight 1 crew consisted of a Virginia State Police Trooper-Pilot and four Chesterfield County Fire and EMS flight paramedics. Once on scene, the ground crew directed the helicopter into position over the scene and Med-Flight lowered a rescuer from the aircraft to the ground. Augusta Fire-Rescue personnel on scene assisted in securing the injured hiker for a hoisting operation back to the aircraft some 175’ above. The injured hiker was placed inside the helicopter, where the crew then transitioned from a rescue operation to a medevac transport to UVA Medical Center for further treatment.
This call was part of a busy afternoon for Med-Flight-1, as just proceeding this rescue, at 3:55 p.m., the team responded to a farm machinery entrapment in Amelia County. Med-Flight-1 also responded to an ATV incident involving a child in south Chesterfield that came in at 5:23 p.m., approximately the same time as the Augusta County call. Both the Amelia patient and the Chesterfield patient were individually transported to area hospitals before Med-Flight 1 refueled and flew the 82 nautical miles to the Augusta County rescue.
Med Flight-1 is a joint effort between Virginia State Police pilots and paramedics from the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Department.