Helicopter Brought In For Injured Teen Hiker
A teenage hiker was rescued by helicopter from the slopes of Devil’s Marbleyard in Arnolds Valley last Tuesday afternoon, after suffering a serious ankle injury that left her unable to walk.
The young woman, who was hiking the steep, rocky area with a group of friends, had suffered what first responders described as a likely severely broken ankle.
“She couldn’t bear any weight at all,” said Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue Chief Nathan Ramsey. “Our crews got there just ahead of the helicopter, which gave us time to assess the injury and make arrangements for the hoist.”
Firefighter Brad Zollman with the Lexington Fire Department responded to the initial call, alongside members of Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department, Glasgow Lifesaving and First Aid Crew, and Rockbridge County Fire and EMS.
Due to the reported severity of the injury and the terrain’s inaccessibility, the crew determined an airlift would be the safest and most efficient means of rescue, and requested support from the state’s Med-Flight program — a publicly funded partner- ship between the Virginia State Police and Chesterfield County Fire and EMS. Med-Flight 1, based in Chesterfield, was dispatched around 2:45 p.m. and traveled approximately 93 nautical miles to the scene.
Once on site, the helicopter conducted a reconnaissance sweep and reconfigured for the hoist operation, according to a press release from the Virginia State Police. Firefighter-paramedic David Webb was lowered to the ground, where he secured the patient in a rescue basket. She was hoisted up to the helicopter and flown to a nearby command post for initial assessment. Because she was stable and from the Richmond area, she was then flown to a hospital in Central Virginia for further treatment. The crew then returned to the rescue site and picked up Webb, reloaded the patient from the command post, and returned to Chesterfield.
The operation was piloted by VSP pilot Curt Conlin and supported by Chesterfield firefighters Webb and Russell Horne.
Remarkably, the rescue occurred on the 41st anniversary of the Med-Flight program’s founding.
Chief Ramsey noted that Devil’s Marbleyard is both a beloved hiking destination and a frequent site of accidents. “I’d say we have to do a rescue up there about three or four times a year,” he said. “It’s a beautiful area — I highly recommend it if you want an amazing view —but it can be dangerous, and you really have to be careful with where and how you step.”
This was the second time in just the past year that a state police helicopter had to be brought in for a rescue at Devil’s Marbleyard, the previous one occurring last Sept. 15. There had been at least one other helicopter rescue there in recent years, according to a state police spokesman.
Tuesday’s operation was the second helicopter rescue in as many days for Med-Flight 1, which had responded to a similar emergency in Madison County on Monday.
THE INJURED hiker at Devil’s Marbleyard is started on her way to the medical helicopter after she was assisted on the ground by Chesterfield firefighter-medic David Webb and Glasgow volunteer firefighter Capt. Ethan Hill. (photo courtesy of Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department)
THE RESCUED hiker gets close to the helicopter door in this image from the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department, which was taken from a TikTok video of the rescue. The hiker was flown to a Central Virginia hospital for treatment.
THIS VIEW taken from a GoPro camera worn by Chesterfield firefighter-medic David Webb shows the rocky nature of Devil’s Marbleyard. (courtesy of the Virginia State Police)
CREW members of Med-Flight 1 give the thumbs up after firefighter-medic David Webb was brought back on board the helicopter. He had remained onsite until the injured hiker had been flown to the hospital and then he was picked up by the helicopter when it returned. (courtesy of VSP)
