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WESTERNPORT, Md. — The Maryland State Police Aviation Command performed an aerial hoist rescue after a person fell from a railroad trestle in Allegany County on Saturday.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, rescue personnel from Barton Company, Westernport Company and Allegany Fire & Rescue were dispatched to an area along the railroad track for an injured person that fell from the trestle.
Due to the victim’s inaccessible location, extended extrication time and the nature of the victim’s injuries, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was requested to perform an aerial hoist rescue. Trooper 5, the State Police helicopter based in Cumberland, Maryland, responded.
Allegany County emergency medical services and rescue personnel initiated patient care on the ground and assisted with the packaging of the patient. Once overhead, the pilots on the AgustaWestland AW-139 helicopter hovered over the area, while a Trooper/Rescue Technician was lowered down onto a rocky island in George’s Creek, where the victim was prepared for aerial extraction via a patient extrication platform device, commonly known as a “PEP” bag.
Once the patient was hoisted safely to the aircraft, the flight crew was able to transition directly into the medical evacuation role and transported the victim directly to a local hospital in West Virginia for treatment of injuries.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases throughout the state. Each aircraft provides coverage 24/7/365 to Maryland residents and visitors.
The MSPAC missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security and disaster assessment. The success of the missions relies heavily on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies and our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Park Police.
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