By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A rock climber suffered a high-angle fall near Shortoff Mountain in North Carolina’s Linville Gorge around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, striking a rock pillar during the fall.
- Burke Rescue Inc. and Charlotte firefighters conducted a five-hour rescue operation involving rope rappelling and a helicopter extraction.
- A Burke Rescue volunteer ran approximately 1.5 miles over 1,000 feet of elevation in 31 minutes to deliver whole blood needed to stabilize the climber before transport.
- The N.C. Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team extracted the climber at 2:45 p.m. and transferred the patient to a medical helicopter for continued care.
- The injured climber’s identity and condition have not been released.
BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A volunteer ran 1.5 miles through rugged terrain in North Carolina’s Linville Gorge on Sunday to deliver whole blood needed to stabilize a rock climber injured in a high-angle fall, according to Burke Rescue Inc.
The climber fell around 9:30 a.m. near Shortoff Mountain while a climbing party was ascending a 350-foot cliff. According to Burke Rescue, the lead climber was attempting to place gear about 40 feet above a ledge when he fell 15 to 20 feet, swinging into and striking an adjacent rock pillar.
A Burke Rescue paramedic/registered nurse, an EMT/mountain rescue technician and a Burke EMS paramedic responded and established voice contact with the climbing party before rappelling down to reach the injured climber, whose location and injuries required additional resources, officials said. The North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team was called in for extraction, and Charlotte firefighters who are part of the state’s Search and Rescue System also responded.
While rescuers waited for the helicopter, medics determined the climber needed whole blood to remain stable. A Burke Rescue volunteer, identified by Burke County Search and Rescue Chief Wes Taylor as 28-year-old Will Soper, ran approximately 1.5 miles and climbed 1,000 feet in elevation in 31 minutes to deliver the blood. Taylor said Soper, an EMT, technical rescuer, instructor and former captain, has served with the department for nearly 10 years and also serves with Linville Central and McDowell County rescue squads.
A helicopter lifted the climber from the gorge at 2:45 p.m. and transferred the patient to a medical helicopter for continued care. The helicopter crew included three members of the Charlotte Fire Department: Battalion Chief Doug de Jonge, Capt. Eric DePoto and Firefighter II Paul Parks. The last rescue volunteers hiked out of the gorge at 5:45 p.m.
The injured climber’s identity and condition have not been released.