First responders rescued a hiker who slipped on the rocks and suffered a “severe” head injury while hiking in Rye’s Marshlands Conservancy on Labor Day.
Fire personnel and city and county police officers took an inflatable boat through the Marshlands to the scene of the hiker’s accident at nearly 5 p.m. on Sept. 2, the Rye Fire Department said.
First responders helped the hiker at the scene before transporting him by backboard and utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to the Marshlands parking lot, where an ambulance took the victim to Westchester Medical Center for additional treatment, according to Rye Fire Department Capt. Clyde Pitts.
In a statement after the rescue, the fire department said the number of personnel involved was crucial.
“These types of incidents require exceptional teamwork from multiple agencies to effectively manage the situation,” the department said in a statement.
The fire department did not provide an update on the hiker’s condition as of Sept. 9. And messages left for Westchester Medical Center and the Westchester County Police were also unsuccessful.
The Record was not able to obtain the hiker’s name, age, or residence from first responders.
The Labor Day rescue comes just weeks after authorities saved a 24-year-old West Harlem woman in the Marshlands Conservancy who had gone off trail and sunk knee-deep into the mud.
Pitts said he wanted to remind people hiking through the conservancy to take proper safety precautions.
“Stay on the designated trails, utilize trail maps provided at the nature center, wear appropriate footwear for muddy/uneven terrain, bring water and/or snacks, bring a charged cell phone, and hike in pairs when possible,” he said.
