Injured Hiker rescued in OC

Rescue teams in three counties assisted an injured hiker yesterday.  At approximately 1:30pm, Oconee County Emergency Services was notified of an injured hiker needing assistance along the Foothills Trail in the Jocassee Gorges Area.  The injured hiker was attempting to hike from the Whitewater Falls area to Table Rock State Park over the course of a few days, however he was injured in a fall and unable to continue his hike.  Due to the remoteness of this area, Oconee County in coordination with Pickens County and Transylvania County, NC worked together to cover multiple miles of trails and logging roads in the Horse Pasture River Area of the Gorges to locate the injured hiker.  The hiker was located by a Transylvania Search Team along a logging road at approximately 4:30pm and assisted out of the woods.  Oconee County Emergency Services Deputy Rescue Chief Adam Williams called the mission a success for two main reasons:  First, the hiker was prepared for the weather conditions and had a cell phone and a GPS to help searchers locate him once he realized he needed help.  And second, Area Emergency Service Teams work and train together routinely and are able to operate together as one large team, as opposed to individual organizations operating independently of each other. Oconee County agencies operating on this scene were the Oconee County Special Rescue Team, Oconee County Dive Team, Salem Rescue Squad, Oconee Medical Center EMS, and Oconee County Emergency Services.