Maryland State Police Aviation rescue woman after car plunges off cliff

The Herald-Mail
·2 min read

GREAT CACAPON, W.Va. — Maryland State Police Aviation Command took flight Tuesday, Aug. 8, and rescued a young woman after her car plunged off a cliff in West Virginia, according to a news release from state police.

The injured 19-year-old was trapped inside her vehicle after it traveled off the road and rolled down a 70-foot embankment above the Cacapon River near the Maryland-West Virginia border.

Crews responded shortly after 7:35 p.m. to Power House Road in Morgan County, W.Va.

A 19-year-old woman was trapped inside her vehicle after it plunged off a cliff and rolled down a 70-foot embankment above the Cacapon River near the Maryland, West Virginia border.
A 19-year-old woman was trapped inside her vehicle after it plunged off a cliff and rolled down a 70-foot embankment above the Cacapon River near the Maryland, West Virginia border.

She was extricated and treated for injuries before being placed in an inflatable raft and floated down river to an accessible hoisting point, according to the release.

The woman needed aerial rescue because of steep terrain, severity of her injuries and the car’s precarious position in the ravine.

Pilots on Trooper 5, Cumberland Section, maneuvered the August AW139 helicopter 130 feet above the rocky terrain while a trooper/paramedic was lowered.

A young woman, whose her car plunged off a cliff in West Virginia, was placed in an inflatable raft and floated down river to an accessible hoisting point to be flown to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.
A young woman, whose her car plunged off a cliff in West Virginia, was placed in an inflatable raft and floated down river to an accessible hoisting point to be flown to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.

The trooper/paramedic secured the woman in a patient extrication platform with the assistance of Great Cacapon Volunteer Fire Co. and rescuers from Allegany and Washington counties.

She was flown to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.

Pilots on Trooper 5, Cumberland Section, maneuvered the August AW139 helicopter 130-feet above the rocky terrain while a trooper/paramedic was lowered.
Pilots on Trooper 5, Cumberland Section, maneuvered the August AW139 helicopter 130-feet above the rocky terrain while a trooper/paramedic was lowered.

What does the aviation command do?

The MSPAC has served Maryland citizens since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases throughout the state.

Each aircraft provides round-the-clock coverage to Maryland residents and visitors.

Each helicopter is staffed with two pilots and two state trooper/medical clinicians.

The agency’s 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 partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Park Police.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Md. State Police Aviation rescue woman after car plunges off cliff