Injured Manchester Hiker Rescued By National Guard Helicopter

FRANCONIA, NH - New Hampshire Fish and Game and the NH Army National Guard worked to rescue an injured hiker from the Falling Waters Trail Saturday.

New Hampshire Fish & Game Department was notified of a hiker who needed assistance off Falling Waters Trail in Franconia at 9:15 a.m.

The hiker was with his father, and their intended hike was the popular 9-mile Franconia Ridge Loop.

They began to ascend the Falling Waters Trail and had hiked approximately 2.3 miles when Jacob Winn, age 25, of Manchester, suffered a potentially life-threatening medical emergency.

Winn’s father was able to call 911 for assistance, according to Conservation Officers. The National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was requested to respond due to the severity of the emergency. Conservation Officers also began to respond to Winn’s location to assist the NH Army National Guard.

The National Guard flight crew arrived at Winn’s location at 11:30 am. They were able to extract Winn using the jungle penetrator, hoisting him into the helicopter, where he was brought to Dartmouth Health in Lebanon for further evaluation and treatment.

Winn and his father were well prepared for their hike. They had hiked this same loop several times in the past and knew the terrain.

They carried the proper gear to alert the NH Army National Guard of their location during the rescue and had purchased hikeSafe cards at the beginning of the year. For additional information about the hikeSafe program, please visit www.hikeSafe.com.