A hiker who suffered a suspected broken ankle had to be carried out of the Montecito backcountry Saturday, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. on the east fork of the Cold Spring Trail, said Kelly Hoover, a department spokeswoman.
The victim, a man in his 40s, was hiking with a companion when he slipped, injuring his ankle, Hoover said.
“In severe pain and suspecting a broken ankle, a 9-1-1 cellular call was made to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Emergency Dispatch Center,” she said.
Crews from the Montecito Fire Protection District and the sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team responded, and determined that the man would have to be carried out of the wilderness, Hoover said.
“After paramedics treated the subject for pain and shock, search-and-rescue personnel strapped the subject into a stretcher attached to a wheel, which was then used to perform a carryout down the trail to trailhead on Mountain Drive,” Hoover said.
The man was taken by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
His name and details on his condition were not available.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.