Thanks to Johanna for beating me to the punch on this one.
Two climbers in their late 20s were injured when a lead climber fell 80 feet and crashed into his belayer on Suicide Rock in Idyllwild, Southern California.
The man was in a possible coma when he was transported to the hospital. His partner suffered broken bones on her face, but was conscious.
The two climbers were on the 5.7-rated Captain Hook route when the lead climber went about 80 feet without setting protected. When he fell, he crashed into his female climbing partner and landed in between a tree and the cliff. The woman landed on a pile of rocks.
A half-dozen climbers on the rock immediately assisted the two climbers and got them to flatter ground. Firefighters hiked in to the area to complete the rescue. But as the rescue continued, a storm developed overhead that dropped marble-sized hail on the area.
A rescue chopper had to leave which forced rescuers to hike the injured hikers on foot.
Adding to the complication of the rescue, the man was combative and had multiple seizures during the rescue. He never gained consciousness. Both climbers were transported to a landing zone where they were airlifted to a local hospital.
Read the story here.
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