Overview
- An 18-year-old hiker from Topsfield, Massachusetts suffered a lower-leg injury on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail about a half mile from Mount Washington’s summit and could not bear weight on the injured leg.
- While waiting for help, the hiker continued uphill with help from eight companions, at times hopping and crawling to reach a point closer to the summit.
- New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue were taken up the Mount Washington Auto Road, hiked down to the scene, applied a vacuum splint, placed the hiker on a litter, and carried him the final stretch to summit access.
- Rescuers transported the hiker down the Auto Road to meet local EMS and he was transferred to an ambulance, but he declined transport to a hospital and chose to seek treatment at home.
- The incident shows how steep terrain on Mount Washington shapes rescue tactics, with the Auto Road serving as a practical staging point and vacuum splints and litters used when vehicle access on the trail is limited.