Injured hiker near Olympic National Park crawls for hours before getting help

Officials wheel an injured hiker to safety Saturday morning.

Officials wheel an injured hiker to safety Saturday morning.

An injured 26-year-old man hiking near Olympic National Park in Washington State reportedly crawled for hours before he was able to get help.

According to a U.S. Coast Guard news release, the hiker reportedly fractured his ankle Friday while on the Duckabush Trail, west of Hood Canal.

The hiker reportedly crawled eight hours before he was able to get an adequate cellphone signal to call 911, KIRO-TV reported.

The man was located by a Jefferson County search and rescue team who found him about 4 a.m. Saturday and got him ready for a medical evacuation to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Officials said the man was in stable condition. Brinnon’s Fire Department Chief Tim Manly said the man was in good spirits and happy to be warm.

“We like to train for high-altitude rescues because of the mountainous region we operate in,” said Lt. Cmdr. Sam Hill, MH-65 pilot of Air Station Port Angeles. “Because of that training, we were able to overcome numerous environmental challenges to rescue the hiker from a dangerous situation.”

Video of the rescue was provided by Brinnon Fire Department Chief Tim Manly:

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