Stranded, Injured Rock Climber Rescued By RivCo Helicopter Crew

IDYLLWILD, CA — A rock climber was hurt while in the Humber Park area near Mountain Center on Friday and was rescued by the Riverside County Fire Department, the agency reported.

The person, who was not identified, fell an estimated 20 to 30 feet while rock climbing and was on the face of a rock wall — about 400 feet above the ground, according to fire officials.

The injury was reported at 3:10 p.m. at the a popular rock climbing destination in the San Bernardino National Forest. A rescue helicopter was deployed to the location because crews on the ground were not able to access the rock climber.

Windy conditions made the aerial rescue more difficult, but eventually the helicopter crew managed to successfully hoist the rock climber to safety, a spokeswoman for the fire department said.

The rock climber, who suffered moderate injuries, was flown to a ground ambulance then taken to a hospital. Their injuries were described as moderate.

— City News Service contributed to this report