Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports on Monday September 18, at 9:42 p.m., the Linn County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team responded to a rescue on the Pacific Crest Trail near South Cinder Peak in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. Linn County Dispatch received a report that Curtis Nitschelm, 64, of Redmond, had been camping in the area while hunting when he had fallen ill and was unable to move. At approximately 11:00 p.m., a Life Flight Air Ambulance responded but was unable to land due to the lack of an adequate landing zone nearby.
Members of the Search and Rescue (SAR) team responded to the Cabot Lake Trailhead in Jefferson County, which is the closest access point to where the patient was located in Linn County. SAR members hiked through the night to get to the patient who was still experiencing severe symptoms when they arrived. SAR Medical Personnel began caring for the patient until a United States Coast Guard helicopter was able to respond and hoist the patient into the helicopter at approximately 8:00 a.m., on the morning of September 19. The patient was flown to the Redmond Municipal Airport, and from there was transported by ground ambulance to an area hospital.
Sheriff Duncan would like to thank all the Search and Rescue volunteers who make successful rescues like this possible. Please visit www.linnsheriff.org to learn more about the LCSO Search and Rescue team.