CASPER, Wyo. — A hiker who fell while attempting to climb the waterfalls at Rotary Park on Tuesday afternoon led to a complicated rescue mission by emergency crews. Ultimately, the first responders were able to reach the hiker and take him to receive medical attention.
The call went out at roughly 3 p.m., and the Casper Fire Department and Natrona County Fire District responded to the emergency. First arriving units found that the man had climbed unrestrained up the falls and fallen, and was stuck on the shelf in the middle of the falls.
Resources were sent up the trail to make access from the top, while other units went to the base of the falls to make contact and establish a command post. Access to the man was made rapidly and rescuers confirmed the hiker had broken his leg in the fall.
Two more people were located uninjured, but stuck, at the same location. Units used technical rescue techniques to access, package and lower the patient to the base of the falls without incident.
“We utilized a rope system from above to reach the individual and bring him to safety,” Casper Fire-EMS Public Information Officer Toph Steinhoff told Oil City News. “Oftentimes, rescues simply involve walking a person down the Bridle Trail, but this was much more involved.”
Once the injured hiker was lowered via a basket to an ambulance and taken for medical evaluation, the other two people were also lowered to safety.
