As the whirring blades of a helicopter whipped up leaves, dust and debris on the Temescal Gateway Park waterfall trail, a 67-year-old woman who injured her ankle while hiking was hoisted aboard the copter shortly after 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 13.
“It looked like she broke it,” Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69 Captain Pat Valenzuela told the Palisadian-Post on the scene.
LAFD Station 69 was one of several units participating in the rescue operation on one of Pacific Palisades’ most popular hiking trails.
Photo: Frances Sharpe
LAFD Air Ops personnel worked with local firefighters and paramedics to treat the woman on the trail just below the waterfall. They prepped her for the hoist, positioning her on a stiff body board and then placing her in a full-length bag for her protection.
A team then carried the woman down the trail from the waterfall to a flatter area away from trees where the hoist could be performed safely. The woman was taken to a local hospital, according to Valenzuela.
Photo: Frances Sharpe
A backup of about 100 hikers waited near the bridge at the waterfall for the rescue operation to be completed before continuing the downhill portion of their hike.
Another injured hiker was hoisted to safety in an LAFD helicopter on Wednesday, March 9.
—FRANCES SHARPE
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