Another injured hiker airlifted from Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail
Just weeks after a U.S. man suffered a life-changing injury on B.C.'s West Coast Trail, search and rescue teams were called to another hiking emergency on Monday.
"We were called a little bit after 4 p.m. for a female that had fallen and hurt herself," said Jim Loree, search manager with North Shore Rescue. "She had a dislocated shoulder."
A helicopter was deployed from Vancouver by the provincial Emergency Coordination Centre. With the help of a 200-foot fixed line, the woman and her partner were extracted from the trail.
They were flown to a waiting ambulance in Port Renfrew, B.C., and taken to hospital.
"This is just an unfortunate incident of, you know, somebody who did everything right but fell down and got hurt," said Loree.
This is the second pair of hikers that had to be airlifted from the trail after being injured since the iconic trail opened for the season on May 1.
Two weeks ago, U.S. man Ed Steinkamp slipped on a log three days into his hike, sending a stick through his eye socket and lodging into his brain.
Ed Steinkamp is pictured. (Submitted)"He landed on the stick and it broke off in the fall," said his son, Bret Steinkamp, on Monday.
"The surgeon said, 'You’re lucky to be alive, you have this branch in your brain," the man's brother, Peter Steinkamp, told CTV News.
Ed Steinkamp lost sight in his left eye and remains at Victoria General Hospital while doctors treat him for an infection in his brain.
"Conditions are certainly muddy and slippery which are all things that visitors need to come prepared to experience when they come to the West Coast Trail," said Liam McNeil, visitor safety specialist with the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
McNeil says on average, only one per cent of hikers need to be airlifted off the trail per year.
"The vast majority of these rescues are completed by Parks Canada visitor safety technicians who extract the injured visitors by marine vessel," said McNeil.
Anyone planning to tackle the six- to eight-day hike, is advised to prepare for some wicked West Coast weather. If you do find yourself with an injury, don’t be afraid to call for help, officials say.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.