Linn County SAR, Coast Guard helicopter crew rescue ill Redmond hunter in Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Linn County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew came to the aid overnight of a Redmond man who fell ill late Monday while hunting in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area, Sheriff Michelle Duncan said Tuesday.

The SAR team responded around 9:40 p.m. Monday to the Pacific Crest Trail near South Cinder Peak in the wilderness area after dispatchers got a report that a 64-year-old Redmond man had been camping in the area while hunting when he fell ill and was unable to move, Duncan said.

About 11 p.m. a Life Flight air ambulance responded but was unable to land due to lack of an adequate landing zone in the area, the sheriff said.

SAR team members responded to the Cabot Lake Trailhead in Jefferson County, the closest access point to where the man was located in Linn County. Duncan said the SAR members then hiked through the night to reach the man, who was still experiencing severe systems when they arrived.

SAR medical personnel began caring for the man until a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was able to respond to the scene. The man was hoisted into the helicopter about 8 a.m. Tuesday and flown to Redmond Municipal Airport. He was then taken by ambulance to the hospital, Duncan said.

The sheriff said she wanted to thank all Search and Rescue volunteers who make rescues like this possible. She urged visiting www.linnsheriff.org to learn more about the LCSO Search and Rescue team