Hiker Falls 200 Feet, Lives to Tell the Tale

Ruth Woroniecki, 40, of Colorado was returning from hike in California's San Gabriel Mountains
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2022 8:21 AM CST
Hiker Falls 200 Feet, Lives to Tell the Tale
The snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains are a backdrop to the homes in the Anaheim Hills community of the city of Anaheim, Calif., in this 2020 file photo.   (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP)

A hike on Christmas Eve day very narrowly avoided serious tragedy for a 40-year-old woman in California's San Gabriel Mountains. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Ruth Woroniecki of Colorado was camping in Lytle Creek when she decided to summit the 8,800-foot Cucamonga Peak; on her return, she slipped on ice and fell some 200 feet, sustaining what KTLA calls "serious injuries." According to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, another hiker came across Woroniecki and used a GPS device to summon help. The rescue, however, wasn't straightforward: A helicopter had to be called in to the remote location, and was hampered by winds. The chopper eventually dropped a rescuer near Woroniecki's location, who, per the SBSD, "placed Woroniecki in a rescue harness and assisted her to an open area, away from trees." Woroniecki was then airlifted to a hospital; her condition is unknown. (More San Gabriel Mountains stories.)

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