North Vancouver district firefighters performed back-to-back trail rescues in Lynn Canyon Thursday afternoon, one involving a woman with a head injury who had to be hoisted out with ropes.
The first emergency call came in around 3:30 p.m. for a woman who slipped and fell 12 feet down a steep slope just below the Twin Falls Bridge.
The 40-year-old woman suffered a laceration to her head, but was conscious as firefighters strapped her in a basket with a spine board and hoisted her up the slope with the assistance of some ropes.
“The rule of thumb is if you fall more than six feet there are spinal precautions,” said North Vancouver district assistant fire chief Jim Bonneville.
The injured woman was met by paramedics at the top of the trail and transferred to hospital for further treatment.
Just as rescue crews were wrapping up in the area, Bonneville said they got another call about a collapsed 18-year-old man a little further south in the canyon.
Still strapped in their harnesses, the firefighters walked across the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, which was temporarily closed during the rescue, to the trail on the east side.
By the time rescue crews reached the man he was walking on his own with the assistance of some paramedics, said Bonneville.
The man was taken to the hospital for assessment.
