Windy Point fall means chopper rescue for climber
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PCSD -
PCSD -
PCSD
A 32-year-old man who fell about 40 feet while climbing in the Santa Catalina Mountains injured his back and need a lift from a police helicopter Monday morning, authorities said.
The man fell when an anchor in his climbing gear failed, and he landed on his back, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.
A deputy responded to the incident about 10 a.m., Deputy Tracy Suitt said in a news release.
Rescue units stabilized the man before using ropes to move him 25 feet up the slope to a point clear of tree cover. From there, a Department of Public Safety helicopter hauled him about 125 feet to a nearby landing zone at Geology Point.
The man, whose injuries were not life-threatening, was transferred to a Life Net helicopter and flown to a trauma center, Suitt said.
In addition to DPS and Life Net, the PCSD Search and Rescue Unit, the Southern Arizona Rescue Association and the Mount Lemmon Fire Department responded to the incident at the popular rock-climbing location, Suitt said.
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