BRINNON — A Seattle man was rescued early Sunday in an all-night effort after falling about 50 feet down a steep embankment in Olympic National Forest.
It took two helicopters to find and take Thomas J. Mackenzie, 24, out of the dark wilderness near the southern Brothers mountain and fly him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle before daybreak Sunday.
A hospital spokesperson said Sunday afternoon that Mackenzie was listed in serious but stable condition in Harborview’s intensive-care unit.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a cellphone call from a Seattle resident about 10 p.m. Saturday, reporting that his fellow hiking companion, Mackenzie, had been seriously injured.
According to the caller — who had left the scene of the accident and walked about three to four hours to obtain cellular service — Mackenzie had struck his head during the fall and needed assistance.
“He had a head injury, an eye injury and was not mobile,” Sheriff’s Detective Brett Anglin said.
The caller, who authorities did not identify, said Mackenzie was stranded on a slope of Mount Edward, the southernmost of the two Brothers mountains.
After arriving at a staging area, members of the Jefferson County Search and Rescue team began to ascend the mountain at about 1:10 a.m. but were unable to reach Mackenzie in the rugged terrain.
“There were no ground troops that made it to the scene,” Anglin said.
Due to the extent of Mackenzie’s injuries and his inaccessibility, a helicopter was called in from the King County Sheriff’s Department, Anglin said.
The hiker, who was dressed in black, could not be located by the crew of the copter.
A second helicopter, equipped with a forward-looking infrared device, was dispatched and found Mackenzie.
The first helicopter, which was equipped with a hoist, lifted Mackenzie at about 4:38 a.m. and flew him to the hospital in Seattle.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com, or on Twitter @PDN_Editor_CMcD.