NAS Whidbey Island crews conduct 2 rescues Sunday

NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. — Search and rescue teams from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island conducted two rescues in the Olympic National Forest and near Mount Baker on Sunday.

In the first incident in the early afternoon, the team was called to rescue a 39-year-old mountain climber at about 9,000 feet in the saddle between Colfax Peak and Mount Baker. The woman had a possible broken ankle, and neck, back and leg injuries.

After a short search, the crew found the climbers, landed nearby and flew the injured woman to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.

Around 6 p.m., the crew was called to rescue a 47-year-old man who had fallen 100 feet while hiking at about 1,800 feet on Mount Ellinor in the Olympic National Forest.

The man had a head injury and broken leg. The crew quickly found the group of hikers and the injured hiker on a trail. By about 7:15 p.m., the patient and his spouse were brought aboard the helicopter and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

So far this year, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Search and Rescue has conducted 26 missions, which includes five MEDEVACs, 18 rescues and three searches.

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