Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — The Tennessee National Guard said a medical flight crew flew an injured hiker out of the Great Smoky Mountains on July 27.
They said at around 7 p.m. they learned the hiker had head trauma and needed immediate medical attention, and to be brought to a nearby hospital. The hiker was in a remote area of the park, near Inspiration Point along Alum Cave Trail.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and guardsmen assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion assembled a flight crew and left on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to rescue the hiker.
There were two pilots — Chief Warrant Officer 3’s Andrew Redley and Daniel Backus. There were also two crew chiefs, Staff Sgt. Allen Belcher and Sgt. Christopher Farrar. A flight paramedic, Sgt. 1st Class Giovanni DeZuani, was the fifth member of the crew.
They departed before 7:40 p.m. from Joint Base McGhee-Tyson and arrived at the rescue site in 11 minutes. According to a release, the crew found the hiker. By then, park rangers were already giving the hiker first aid.
The hiker was put on a Skedco stretcher and hoisted into the helicopter. The hiker was then taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, arriving at around 9 p.m., and rushed into the emergency room.