A rock climber who was badly injured in a fall had to be flown off Mount Washington yesterday.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, conservation officers received a report from hikers who saw a man free fall roughly 60 feet in the are of Pinnacle Buttress in Huntington Ravine on Mount Washington shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2.
As authorities worked to gather more information, a 911 call came in from rock climbers who had made their way over to the fallen man after being alerted by the hikers.
The climbers provided first aid, first-hand information, and a reliable location for where the man was located.
During this time, it was confirmed that the fallen man was suffering from multiple injuries, some of which could be potentially life threatening.
Due to the extent of the injuries and the extremely difficult terrain, Fish and Game officials coordinated a rescue response with multiple agencies. Staff from the Mount Washington State Park responded to the area to access current weather conditions, a team of elite rock climbers from Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) were mobilized to come in from the ground, and a Blackhawk helicopter and crew from the New Hampshire Army National Guard responded to provide air support.
Fortunately, weather conditions on Mount Washington were favorable and the crew from the Army National Guard were able to hoist the fallen climber from Huntington Ravine shortly after 3 p.m.
The man was immediately flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, for further evaluation and treatment of his injuries. His current condition is not known, but officials said he arrived alive.
Following the helicopter extraction of the fallen climber, a team of MRS volunteers climbed down into Pinnacle Buttress and assisted the good Samaritan climbers who had helped the victim.
Thegroup of volunteers was then able to climb back up to the Alpine Garden area of Mount Washington and meet a conservation officer to get a ride back down the mountain. All parties involved were safely back down the mountain by 6:30 p.m.
The fallen climber was eventually identified as Lukas Lamb Wotton, 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Officials said Wotton had climbed in the area before and was familiar with the climbing route that he was on at the time of the accident.
