Crime & Safety
Several Teen Hikers Rescued Near Altadena
Rescue crews were kept busy Sunday rescuing several teenage hikers struggling in slipper, rainy conditions in the Angeles National Forest.
ALTADENA, CA — Authorities conducted two rescues of injured hikers over the last 24 hours in the area of Cobb Estate in the Angeles National Forest near Altadena.
The first took place shortly before midnight Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's Altadena Mountain Rescue Team was called by the L.A. County Fire Department to find a lost 18-year-old male hiker from Montebello who fell into a canyon.
The hiker's friend called 911 to report the lost teen. County firefighters and the Altadena Rescue team went into the area and located the injured hiker. A county helicopter hoisted the injured man to safety and then paramedics transported him to Huntington Memorial Hospital for treatment of a leg injury, according to the sheriff's department.
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As the Altadena rescue units were leaving they were stopped by the victim's two teenage friends who told them three other hikers were missing. Two 18-year-old men from Commerce and a 17-year-old boy from East Los Angeles were located and led to safety, according to the sheriff's department.
The six hikers had started up the trail at 9 p.m. Saturday when the first hiker fell due to rainy conditions.
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The second rescue incident took place about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team hiked into the Las Flores Canyon about one-half mile north of Lake Avenue and Loma Alta Drive to rescue an injured 16-year-old male hiker from Valencia, according to the sheriff's department.
Team members located the youth who had fallen and suffered contusions to his head, right hip, both knees and back, as well as a chin cut, several broken teeth and a left forearm fracture, according to the department.
A county fire rescue helicopter was called in and hoisted the injured youth to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. The injured hiker was reunited with his family at the hospital.
The sheriff's department is warning hikers to take extra care right now because of the rain and wet conditions that have created dangerous hiking conditions.
City News Service; Photo: Public Domain