Injured Hiker Rescued By Helicopter In Cleveland National Forest

CORONA, CA — A woman who was injured Wednesday while hiking in the Cleveland National Forest southwest of Corona was rescued by a Cal Fire helicopter crew and taken to a hospital.

The "hiker down" call was received shortly before 1 p.m. on the Skyline Trail. The woman, whose name was not released, reported an unspecified "lower extremity" injury that prevented her from walking out of the preserve, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. There was no word on what caused the injury.

County and Corona firefighters were prepared to trek into the forest to retrieve the hiker, but a battalion chief at the scene determined an aerial rescue would be faster.

Cal Fire helicopter 301 was sent to the location where the woman was stranded, several miles up the trail, and she was hoisted into the chopper about 2:30 p.m.

The crew flew her to a makeshift landing zone at the intersection of Foothill Parkway and Lincoln Boulevard in Corona, where she was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to a Riverside hospital for treatment.

— By City News Service