A climber fell 15 to 20 feet on a 350-foot North Carolina cliff; a rescuer ran 1.5 miles through a gorge carrying blood to keep him alive

A rescue volunteer made a remarkable 1.5-mile run while carrying critical whole blood to an injured climber during a major rescue operation in North Carolina.The volunteer covered around 1,000 feet of elevation in just 31 minutes as 24 agencies worked together to reach a climber who had suffered serious injuries after falling approximately 15 to 20 feet near Shortoff Mountain in Linville Gorge, Burke County.According to a social media post from Burke County Rescue Inc and Burke County Search and Rescue on August 30, the rescue operation began at around 9:30 a.m. after emergency crews were alerted to the injured climber.The patient was eventually airlifted to Charlotte for specialist trauma care and was reported to be in stable condition following surgery.Climbers were tackling a challenging routeThe climbing party had been ascending Dopey Duck, a 350-foot, three-pitch, 5.9 traditional climbing route on Shortoff Mountain.According to the rescue agency's account, the lead climber was attempting to place protection approximately 40 feet above a ledge when they suffered a lead fall of around 15 to 20 feet.The climber swung away from the rock face during the fall and struck an adjacent rock pillar.The difficult terrain and the nature of the injuries immediately presented rescuers with a challenging operation.A Burke Rescue paramedic/RN and EMT/Mountain Rescue Technician, together with a Burke EMS paramedic, responded to the area and established voice contact with the climbing party.Because of the patient's injuries and the difficult location, rescuers had to rappel down to reach the climber while additional emergency resources were requested.Volunteer races against time with whole bloodFollowing an assessment of the injured climber, rescuers determined that whole blood was needed to help stabilise the patient before transportation.That's when one Burke Rescue volunteer took on a critical task.The volunteer ran approximately 1.5 miles through difficult terrain while carrying the blood needed for the patient.In just 31 minutes, the volunteer covered around 1,000 feet of elevation before returning with the blood.The volunteer arrived before the patient was transported, allowing rescuers to use the blood to help stabilise the injured climber.The extraordinary effort became one of the defining moments of a rescue that involved 24 different agencies.Helicopter team airlifts injured climberFollowing the ground rescue operation, assistance was requested from the North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART).NCHART aircraft “Kill Devil 244” successfully extracted the patient at approximately 2:45 p.m., according to the rescue agency.The injured climber was then transferred to an awaiting medical helicopter for continued treatment.Burke County Emergency Services later told News 13 on August 31 that the patient had been flown to an Atrium Health trauma centre in Charlotte.According to the patient's family, the climber was in stable condition following surgeries.Rescue crews faced long journey outThe operation did not end once the climber had been extracted.After the helicopter extraction, the remaining rescuers and members of the climbing party had to ascend the rope system back to the top of the route.They then began the long hike out of the area.The scale of the response highlighted the difficulties emergency crews can face when dealing with serious injuries in remote climbing locations.Burke County Search and Rescue later thanked all of the agencies involved in the operation.Officials issue safety reminder to climbersFollowing the rescue, Burke County Emergency Services also issued a reminder about the risks associated with climbing.“Please remember that climbing comes with inherent risks. Know your abilities, use appropriate safety equipment, and never underestimate the consequences of a fall,” the agency said in a social media post.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.