Hiker rescued on South Sister

A 33-year-old hiker from Bend was rescued on Wednesday after a fall on the South Sister trail.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office received the report of the accident at noon. The fall occurred on the trail approximately 300 feet below the summit. The hiking party had already summited and was on the return leg of their hike.

The reporting parties advised that one of members of their group had fallen 10-20 feet and had been knocked unconscious for a short period as well as sustaining other minor head injuries.

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue personnel were dispatched to assist in the

rescue

A total of 15 volunteer SAR members and two Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Deputies assisted in the rescue.

One SAR team of three medically trained members was transported to the summit of South Sister by AirLink air ambulance.

This team made contact with the injured hiker and the hiking party, and provided medical assessment and stabilization. The injured hiker, identified as Oliver Austin, was placed into a litter and moved from his location to the landing zone at the summit. This was accomplished by the three SAR members, a member of the hiking party and several other hikers that were in the area.

A second team, consisting of 11 SAR members, deployed on the climbers trail near Devils Lake in the event that an air extraction could not be completed.

AirLink returned to the summit of South Sister and the patient was transported to St. Charles Medical Center at approximately 2:10 p.m. with non-life-threatening injuries. The summit of S. Sister is approximately 10,358 feet. The trip from Devils Lake trailhead to the summit is approximately 6 miles long (one way) with a 4,900 foot elevation gain.