Shortly after 3 p.m. on November 1, Carroll County EMS and Fire Department personnel responded to the area of Gaither Road and Railroad Avenue in Sykesville, Maryland for a report of an injured person. Dispatch information indicated that a hiker was walking in a wooded area when they slipped and fell an estimated 20 feet down an embankment and onto the top of a train tunnel. Due to the location of the injured person, terrain, and prolonged time to extricate the patient, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was requested to perform a medevac.
Trooper 1, a crew based out of Martin State Airport in Middle River, responded to the scene. Pilots maneuvered the AgustaWestland (AW-139) helicopter into a 120-foot hover while State Trooper/Flight Paramedics were deployed to perform a trauma assessment and prepare the patient for the hoist. The patient was then placed into a Patient Extrication Platform (PEP) Bag and safely hoisted into the helicopter. Once the patient was brought into the aircraft, the flight crew transitioned into a medevac role, where the hiker was then flown to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland for treatment of their injuries.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served the citizens of Maryland since March 1970 and operates a fleet of ten AW-139 helicopters from seven helicopter bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The Aviation Command staffs each helicopter with two pilots and two state trooper/medical clinicians. The success of aerial rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on monthly, quarterly, and annual proficiency training and is a cooperative effort with allied agencies.
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CONTACT: First Sergeant James Lyles, (410) 238-5800