He died after a fall on Mount Hood. His family blames hours-long wait for rescue.

[pstokely]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/15/he-died-after-a-fall-on-mount-hood-his-family-blames-delayed-rescue-lawsuit-says/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.da6df9f8816e
"But nothing would be set in motion immediately, which is now the center of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed Monday by Jenkins’s family.

Instead, after the fall it would take several more phone calls to Clackamas County authorities and two more hours before a helicopter would finally be dispatched to rescue Jenkins, according to the lawsuit and a report by the Oregonian. His condition deteriorated steadily as time passed, Cornett said. By the time the National Guard helicopter arrived at 3:11 p.m. — about 4½ hours after the fall — Jenkins could barely breathe, he said.

Jenkins’s pulse stopped just as he was being lifted into the helicopter’s rescue basket, according the lawsuit. First responders could not revive him. The team leader for Portland Mountain Rescue said Jenkins had been able to speak with rescuers before his breathing became difficult. He was pronounced dead at a Portland hospital, according to the Associated Press. A medical examiner ruled he died of “blunt force trauma,” the Oregonian reported.


“We did everything [we could], and we waited,” Cornett said. “And it was really just that last minute, the last five minutes.”
"

[haele]

1. That's a tough call. A lot depends on at what elevation he fell and where he landed.

My brother worked National Guard/Reserves SAR aircraft up in Everett when he was a TAR. Despite what you see in movies or on TV, when there's a high mountain rescue, most air ambulance helicopters are not capable of getting to where the patient is.
So, the 911 dispatcher will have to find out where the injured hiker is using GPS coordinates and contact all the local rescue helicopters that are assigned to the area; the air rescue operators will have to assess from the coordinates if they have a 'copter that can reach the hiker in the weather conditions present. Mount Hood is a very high mountain; not Everest Basecamp high, true, but getting up to the upper trails and stations is very difficult because while it might be calm down at the start of the trails, it can be extremely windy and the thermal patterns can be tricky to navigate in the higher elevations. If he fell into a ravine or even into what might seem to be a small clearing or rock-fall area that was surrounded by trees or cliff-faces, the helicopter can't fly close enough for a standard lift basket.
If the locals don't have a 'copter that can do the rescue, they call the National Guard with the heavier 'copters that can fly higher with a longer basket or in more extreme weather conditions.
And that can take even more time; getting cross-agency approval, calling up a pilot while establishing a flight plan, flying from a different location that can be further away; four hours is not necessarily a long time for a mountain rescue.

This isn't like sending out an air ambulance for a freeway accident or a local hiking accident in the foothills. I sympathize, but Mount Hood is a huge and challenging location for a hiker to begin with. To attempt a rescue in the higher elevations?

Haele

[Nay]

3. Thank you. As badly as I feel for his family, I can't help but think that too many

people watch too much TV and expect magic fairies to pluck their loved ones from oceans, mountaintops, crevices, deserts and other demanding situations at the moment a 911 call is made. Getting to him in 4 hours was blazingly fast, frankly.

[sarah FAILIN]

2. I'm cold

I feel like you have to take responsibility for your choices. Choose a dangerous hobby and you risk your life. Sure a rescue team would be sent, but blaming them in this case is too much.

[LanternWaste]

9. I feel the same in regards to riding in a car.

I feel the same in regards to riding in a car. Choices, responsibility, etc.

If we die in an accident, we shouldn't blame anyone else... we decided make the commute this morning.

[HAB911]

4. You choose your path

you take your chances

And we are expected to pay for it?

[Thunderbeast]

5. This is not easy or safe stuff.

The climbers were on the mountain WAY too late in the day with poor ice conditions. Boulders are set free in the warm weather in the afternoon.

The public IS NOT responsible for their safety. Rescues are a "best effort" deal with no guarantees.

This is what can happen on Mt. Hood with a helicopter. This rescue was is the same general location. The Mountain Rescue teams are both airborne professionals and skilled volunteers on the ground (Cragrats).

[Shrike47]

7. The fall was reported first at 10:40 a.m., I believe.

[MissB]

10. The Oregonian stated that he was climbing near the summit at 10:40 am

I’m not a mountain climber.

My kid (currently 18, but almost 19) has submitted Mt Hood 3 times. He’s usually reaches the summit before dawn. Again, I’m not a mountain climber. But I thought the reason for the early summit arrival is to beat the sun from heating things up on the decent, which can destabilize rocks.

[Codeine]

13. How awesome that you let your son do

that! My wife won’t even let our kids ride their bikes on our quiet street.

[Shrike47]

6. They are suing the county for not requesting the helicopter in a timely fashion after the 911 call.

Another hiker called the Sheriff’s office after the fall and some confusion ensued.

I tend to think people who engage in risky behavior do so at their own risk.

[dalton99a]

8. The risks are well known

[struggle4progress]

11. That's sad. When someone falls 600 feet down a mountain, consider not telling 911

"I think this call may be premature" -- because you can't know how badly banged-up the person is

[struggle4progress]

12. Climber killed on Mount Hood was not using ice ax, rescuers say

Updated May 10, 2017; Posted May 10, 2017
By Allan Brettman
The Oregonian/OregonLive

... One of the first things the 32-year-old Jenkins said, according to witnesses, was, "I should have had my ice ax in my hand."

Before his fall, rescuers believe Jenkins was walking with the aid of trekking poles, which are similar to ski poles. While it is unclear what caused the Mukilteo resident's fall, climbing authorities say an ice ax – and the ability to use it – is an essential tool for travel on glaciated peaks ...

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/05/deceased_mount_hood_climber_wa.html