Placer County, Calif. June 25, 2017 – On June 24, 2017 at approximately 11:00 a.m., California Highway Patrol Helicopter 24 (H-24) received a call for assistance from Truckee Fire Department, regarding a man that had fallen while climbing Donner Summit. H-24 was at South Lake Tahoe Airport after completing a rescue on the Pacific Coast Trail.
H-24 responded to Donner Summit and located the scene. The crew learned that a 68 year old male had fallen 50 feet while repelling the summit. He sustained very serious injuries and needed to be flown to a trauma center quickly. Working with Truckee Fire ground personnel, Flight Officer/Paramedic Matt Calcutt lowered a Bauman bag for the patient to be placed in. After he was secured in the Bauman bag, he was hoisted to the helicopter and transported to Donner Ski Ranch parking lot and turned over to CareFlight Air Ambulance. CareFlight flew the victim to Renown Medical Center, Reno for treatment.