28-Year-Old Hiker Rescued After Getting Trapped Underneath Boulder the 'Size of a Refrigerator'
Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453 Hiker pinned underneath refrigerator-sized boulder rescued in Washington
A hiker from Montana survived a frightening ordeal.
On Monday morning around 9:30 a.m., 28-year-old Ben Delahunty's hiking partner put in a call to report that his friend was "trapped under a large boulder in the area of Lake Viviane" in Washington, according to a news release from Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett.
"He said his friend's wrist was pinned by the boulder and it was also across his legs," Burnett wrote, noting that they were not able to immediately move the boulder "as it was approximately the size of a refrigerator."
Speaking with The Seattle Times, Chelan County Emergency Management Sgt. Jason Reinfeld said the hiker initially "felt really stable" on the boulder — but "all of a sudden" it "started to slide and he ended up underneath it."
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Ultimately, the rescue proved "really tricky" for officials.
"They were nearly on a cliff side and the boulder was also being held in place by a tree," Reinfeld told the newspaper.
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The State Emergency Management requested a hoist capable helicopter to help, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office. Additionally, local fire departments were contacted as Delahunty was "several hours" away from the trailhead.
"The scenario presented a unique challenge of getting equipment capable of moving a boulder as well as rescuers on scene in a timely manner," Burnett wrote in the news release.
"The crews that were inserted immediately found this rescue had additional challenges," the sheriff added, noting that the responders "needed ropes to safely access" the hiker's location as there was a risk of falling while working on moving the boulder.
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Authorities, including the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department — which posted footage from the rescue mission on Facebook — were ultimately able to free the hiker at approximately 2:50 pm.
However, due to challenging weather conditions, including heavy winds, the first attempt to hoist him into the helicopter was unsuccessful.
Finally, "at 4:45 pm there was enough of a break in the weather to allow Snohomish County to attempt another hoist operation," Burnett wrote in the news release. "They were successful and transported Mr. Delahunty to Central Washington Hospital."
"This was definitely something a movie's made out of," Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Chief Brian Brett told The Seattle Times.
Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453 Rescue footage from Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453
The hiker suffered "significant injuries to his leg" but is expected to recover, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.
As of Tuesday, Delahunty remained in the hospital in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokesperson told The Seattle Times.
