79-year-old woman rescued after fall on hiking trail
by Multiple Authors on Oct. 11, 2007, under Local, SpecialA 79-year-old woman who lives at Dove Mountain was rescued Wednesday morning after she fainted while hiking in the Tortolita Mountains.
The woman, Carol Gonzalez, was out hiking with about 10 people from the Heritage Highlands Hiking Club, a club for neighborhood seniors, Northwest Fire District Capt. Adam Goldberg said. She was also accompanied by a companion.
More than 23 rescue workers were called to the Wild Burro trailhead, near the Gallery Golf Club, at 10:40 a.m., Goldberg said. The rescue was complete in about 90 minutes.
Gonzalez’s fainting was related to the heat, Goldberg said. She did not fall a great distance, but she cut and bruised her head, he said. She also suffered mild dehydration.
Paramedics who came to her aid, about one mile up the trail, administered an IV, Goldberg said. She did not need to be hospitalized and was released to the care of her companion, he said.
“This is a great reminder that even when weather is in the low 90s or high 80s and the sun is out high in the sky, you can be at risk,” Goldberg said. “The older we are, the faster the heat takes a toll.”
By Ryn Gargulinski, Carli Brosseau
