California
California hiker rescued after legs were trapped under huge boulder for 7 hours
Crews rescued a hiker whose legs were trapped under a boulder for seven hours in the Inyo Mountains.
U.S. Forest Service=A hiker was rescued after his legs were pinned beneath a nearly 10,000-pound boulder for seven hours in Inyo County, according to the team that led the effort.
The Inyo County Search & Rescue team said on Facebook that it was called to help the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol rescue a man reported trapped with his legs underneath a boulder Tuesday afternoon in the Inyo Mountains east of the Sierra Nevada.
The boulder weighed 6,000 to 10,000 pounds, the team said.
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Some rescuers were flown via helicopter into Santa Rita Flat, where the man was trapped, while others drove there in vehicles. When the rescuers arrived “well after dark,” they used ropes, pulleys and leverage to move the boulder enough to allow the man to move.
The hiker, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital in Fresno after midnight for his injuries. The extent of his injuries and whether he has been released from the hospital were unclear.