An injured hiker was rescued earlier this month after a train passenger spotted her from the window. She was crazily waving on the other side of a river, having just spent two days trapped in the wilderness with a broken leg.
The rider told the train crew, who then reported it to the train inspector, Henry Smith, who was in a motor car behind them. Henry was able to stop and communicate with the woman on the opposite bank of the river, which was freezing cold and moving quickly.
The hiker, a woman in her twenties, had been missing for two days. She said she'd intended to go on a day hike, but ended up falling 90 feet down a cliff face while trying to take pictures. She reportedly told rescuers that she lost consciousness for an unknown amount of time. Despite a badly broken leg, she struggled to pull herself to the bank of the river to try to flag down trains. She had no emergency supplies with her, or suitable clothing to spend the night outdoors. There had been a cold attack while the woman was trapped in the wilderness. The hiker described spending daylight hours trying to get the attention of passing trains and, at night, would roll herself into a nearby cliff face in an attempt to stay warm.
Henry called to request help for search and rescue. The operator who received the emergency call said the hiker's family had been looking for her. While they were waiting for the rescue team, Nick and Kylah, an engineer and a fireman on the next train passing by the location, came to help. 327 passengers on the train waited on the track as they crossed the river to examine the woman's injuries and bring emergency supplies, blankets and a radio for communication. Eventually, a helicopter was sent to locate and rescue the hiker and she was transported safely to the hospital.
