Taconic Trail End-to-End "mishap"

[beverly]

Shorter version:

Hiker sets out to hike the Taconic Crest Trail. Saturday was the 27 mile day-hike sponsored by the Taconic Hiking Club that takes place every two years. He slid in the muddy conditions, fell 50 feet, briefly lost consciousness, hurt his wrist and had to be talked out of continuing to the end. A good idea. It turns out he had suffered a heart attack.

Wilson didn't realize he had the attack until he had hiked nearly six miles out of the woods, with help, and been taken to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt.
There, doctors expressed amazement Wilson was still alive, according to his wife, Lynn Wilson.
"None of us knew," said Lynn Wilson, who was with him when he fell. "He just kept telling us he felt weird. We never expected this."

Times Union Article

Glad he was able to get out safely!

 

[jade]

Wow! I spoke with Colin Campbell a number of times in April because I wanted to join in on this hike. The roster had already been filled so I planned to do another long distance hike--which I promptly weenied out of because of all the rain and resulting mud....
Man, that guy IS lucky to be alive. I know this is a well planned outing with much thought put in to safely and car spotting. Another vote/reason for finding a halfway or strategically located parking area when you're out for a long day with others!

Thanks Beverly......

...Jade

 

[SAR-EMT40]

It should be stressed again that whenever someone loses consciousness you must get to the root cause. His loss of consciousness is far more important then the wrist injury. Did he lose consciousness because of the fall or did he fall because he lost consciousness? Right at the top of the list for syncopal episodes are cardiac events. A simple question to ask is “do you remember what happened”? If he remembers he probably passed out after the fall. If he doesn't then before. If he passed out before there are a whole range of things that must be considered, like maybe this guy needs to be carried out because he had or is still having a cardiac event. i.e. the guy kept complaining that "he feels weird". Being close to death and either having people make you keep walking or forcing yourself to keep walking will make you “feel weird” if your heart isn't working correctly. If he passed out after the event, you still have head and neck injuries to worry about because he whacked his cocoanut hard enough to lose consciousness.

The emergency room doctor is never going to complement you on the fantastic splint you put on the dead mans wrist.

Damn that is one lucky guy. So is the firefighter.

Keith