The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit shared a video on Instagram showing the helicopter hovering above the couple lying on the ground, with the man attempting to shield his girlfriend from the sun.“Because of her severe condition, an aeromedical helicopter was dispatched to Rescue 9’s landing zone to fly the patient to a hospital,” the department stated. The man was transported to a local hospital by ambulance.
The Sheriff’s Office used the rescue as an opportunity to remind people of the dangers of hiking in the desert.
Cpl Pilot Andy Rasmussen from the Aviation team commented on the situation, saying, “People don’t pack enough water. They don’t bring enough supplies with them. They end up getting 5 or 6 miles into a hike and can’t get back.”
He also noted the extreme temperatures in the area, stating, “It’s in the triple digits now.Yesterday, I believe we got to about 112 degrees (Fahrenheit). It’s going to be that way from here on out in the summer.” Cpl. Rasmussen warned, “If you’re out hiking, and you start to feel thirst, you start to feel tired, in probably 10 minutes you can be in a bad situation.”
The southern desert is one of the hottest regions in California, with weather stations near the Painted Canyon area recording highs ranging from 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 to 40.6 degrees Celsius) on June 9, according to the National Weather Service.
