Edhat Staff
An injured hiker was airlifted from the Nojoqui Falls area on Saturday afternoon.
At 4:27 p.m., Santa Barbara County Firefighters hiked to the falls trail and discovered a 70-year-old female.
According to Captain Scott Safechuck, the hiker fell and sustained a lower extremity injury.
Firefighters carried the hiker in a litter-basket to a UTV and was then driven to Nojoqui Park. A Calstar helicopter responded to the park and airlifted the hiker to Marian Regional Medical Center.
The current condition of the hiker is unknown at this time.
She is 70! This is an easy hike. Not like she set out in 100f heat with not enough water. Anyone can slip, fall, and break a leg or hip anywhere. It just so happens that SY valley has no trauma center and sometimes not enough ambulances. My dad had to wait 8-9 hours with a broken hip at SY cottage because there was either no room at Cottage or they couldn’t get an ambulance. I’m sure he would have liked Calstar at that point.
Was a helicopter necessary?
She evidently thought the pain was enough to use her insurance and Medicare rather than the 20 min ride to Cottage at Santa Ynez, no trauma center or 40 min at Marian and no free flight from Co. 308 available.
According to our resident “Doc,” the pain must be above a 3/10 for such a rescue to be acceptable.
Obviously, you have no idea, but had to jump in and run your mouth. I’ve been to Cottage Trauma 3 times in 4 years and the patient and the EMT always has a say so as to the need. I merely was showing the options for the rubaiyat whiner not unlike yourself. By the by, I’m a Resident Engineer, not a resident “Doc” so I can’t tell you whether 3/10 won’t get you a free copter ride all the way to Santa Maria. I can also tell you that if you have insurance you can go to the front of the line, 3 out of 3 times.
Hey Tagdes, I think Sack was running his mouth directly at me actually. He does that, and has no idea what physicians (and other first responders) know. But hey, he can speak for himself if he wants to.
TAGDES – I wasn’t talking about you or at you and actually agreed with what you said, but don’t let your undying and loathsome grudge get in the way.
It’s what they’re there for. Why question what someone else decides is medically necessary for an injury?
I’ve never seen such disdain for people getting injured outdoors as we see here every time it happens. Why?