Two people were injured and one person was killed in two separate incidents at Rock Mountain National Park (RMNP) over the weekend, officials say.
On Friday Aug. 11, a 64-year-old Texas man was severely injured after falling 60 feet on Longs Peak, a release from the National Park Service stated. A bystander who witnessed the fall rendered aid to the College Station man until park rangers arrived on the scene.
RMNP Search and Rescue team members provided advanced medical care to the man, but due to the severity of his injuries and the location of his fall, a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter from nearby Buckley Air Force Base was called in to assist. The victim was then transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance at Upper Beaver Meadows and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies, the release stated.
Severance woman dies after falling in Rocky Mountain National Park https://t.co/cIwZegfCpk
— GreeleyTribune (@GreeleyTribune) August 14, 2023
In a second incident which occurred Saturday, Aug. 12, two hikers fell 300 feet while descending in the Flying Dutchman couloir situated between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker in RMNP, the release stated.
One of the two, a 21-year-old female from Colorado, died of the injuries she sustained in her fall, marking the fourth fatality at RMNP in 2023. The other, a 25-year-old male from Texas, was assisted by bystanders who contacted park officials via cell phone in addition to activating a personal locator beacon, the release stated. (RELATED: Man Falls To His Death At Rocky Mountain National Park)
Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries, park officials once again called upon the Colorado Air National Guard helicopter to extricate the victim from the park. The victim was then transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance at Upper Beaver Meadows and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies, the release stated.