A hiker from Georgia was rescued Friday after he fell 8 feet while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
George O’Connor, 76, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was hiking south on the trail on Little Bigelow Mountain in Dead River Township about 11:10 a.m. when he fell about 8 feet and was seriously injured, according to Game Warden Lt. Kris Barboza.
A first responder hiked about 4 miles to where O’Connor fell and evaluated his injuries. Rescuers needed a Maine Forest Service helicopter to get O’Connor off the mountain because of its remote location, Barboza said Saturday morning.
The Maine Forest Service airlifted O’Connor off Little Bigelow Mountain and brought him to Carrabassett Valley Airport, where he was moved to another helicopter, which flew him to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
O’Connor was treated at the hospital for spinal injuries, according to Barboza.
No additional information was immediately available.
