A hiker's weekend adventure took an unexpected turn on the Waipo‘o Falls Trail. A 32-year-old woman from California, while hiking in Kōke‘e on Saturday, Aug. 2, sustained an ankle injury that halted her journey and necessitated rescue. The Kaua‘i Fire Department reported the incident, detailing the efforts taken to assist the stranded hiker.
The call for help reached first responders just after 1:20 p.m., with firefighters from the Waimea fire station deploying to the site. They hiked a quarter mile, reaching the injured hiker who, injured with an ankle that snagged her mobility, was found alert and responsive but unable to walk by herself. After stabilizing the injury with a splint, firefighters employed a litter and wheel system to transport her off the trail, as noted in a County of Kaua'i press release.
Her extraction from the trail didn't mark the end of the hiker's ordeal. Once at the Pu‘u Hina Hina parking lot, American Medical Response personnel conducted an evaluation before she was taken by private vehicle to Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital for further treatment. According to the report from the County of Kaua'i, the operation concluded around 3:55 p.m.
