After spotting a missing, injured hiker through a train window, a Colorado train passenger assisted in her rescue.
According to a Facebook post from the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, the passenger was riding Colorado’s Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on October 10 when she noticed the hiker through the window and alerted the train conductor.
The hiker, a woman from New Mexico, went missing after she began a hike on the Colorado Trail, says the office. She left the trail and headed along the Animas riverbank, where she fell, breaking her leg. She spent two nights injured in the wilderness, according to the office.
After the second night, she managed to find a high-visibility spot on the riverbank – and flagged down the passing train.
Two train staff who were also trained medics crossed the river and stayed with the hiker until the Silverton Medical Rescue team arrived, according to the office.
The rescue operation was complex: the search and rescue team were flown in on a helicopter and used ropes to transport the injured hiker across the river. Then, a helicopter flew the patient to a nearby hospital. The search and rescue team was transported out of the riverbank area on a small train, according to the office.
“Another person in a moment of need was successfully brought home due to teamwork and collaboration,” wrote the office.