Helicopter crew helps rescue lost man
Apr. 13—ROWLESBURG, W.Va. — A Maryland State Police helicopter helped rescue an elderly man after he became lost and hurt late Thursday morning.
The 82-year-old, who was not identified, was found in a ravine of a densely forested area north of the Cheat River shortly before 11 a.m. He disappeared Wednesday from the Erwin community of Preston County, about 8 miles from the Maryland-West Virginia line.
Rescuers from the Preston County Sheriff's Office, Rowlesburg Volunteer Fire Department and the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group were in their 14th hour of searching when he was located, according to state police. They called for Cumberland-based Trooper 5 to perform an aerial rescue due to the steep terrain and access into the forest.
The West Virginia rescue personnel stabilized the man. Once overhead, the pilots on Trooper 5 hovered the helicopter nearly 215 feet above the dense tree cover, while a trooper/paramedic was lowered below. The trooper/paramedic, with assistance from West Virginia rescuers, secured the injured man and they were hoisted to the aircraft.
The man was then flown to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, for treatment.
