Rescue: Mt Washington with AVSAR
Good Samaritans Make a Difference
On Saturday, July 25, Lakes Region Search and Rescue responded alongside NH Fish & Game Conservation Officers and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue for an injured hiker on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, approximately half a mile below the summit of Mount Washington.
Rescue personnel were transported up the Mount Washington Auto Road before hiking down to the patient. The injured hiker was then placed in a litter and carried uphill through steep, rocky terrain to the summit, arriving at approximately 5:50 p.m.
Before rescuers arrived, several passing hikers with EMT certifications stopped, assessed the injury, and provided medical support. Four of those hikers remained with the patient and later assisted rescuers during the litter carry back to the summit.
Their contribution deserves special recognition.
Too often, people encounter an injured hiker and continue past, assuming that because rescue personnel are on the way, there is nothing they can do. A Good Samaritan acting within their training and abilities can help protect and comfort an injured person, provide rescuers with valuable information, reduce suffering, and sometimes become an important part of the evacuation itself.
A litter carry is far more demanding than it may appear. Moving an injured person safely through rugged mountain terrain requires coordination, careful footing, frequent carrier rotations, and a tremendous amount of physical effort. Every capable set of hands can make a meaningful difference.
These four hikers willingly changed their own plans, stayed with a stranger in need, and worked alongside rescue personnel to help bring him safely to the summit. We are grateful for their training, compassion, and willingness to step forward when it mattered.
The patient was transported down the Auto Road and transferred to Gorham Ambulance for further treatment.
Thank you to NH Fish and Game, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Gorham Ambulance, the Mount Washington Auto Road, and especially the four Good Samaritans who stayed to help.
When you encounter someone in distress, you may be more of a resource than you realize. Help within your training, abilities, and personal safety—and never underestimate the difference simply stopping can make.
