Injured Hiker Airlifted From Makawao Forest Reserve

Air Rescue Maui, graphics by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A 44-year-old Makawao man was airlifted from the Makawao Forest Reserve on Thursday afternoon, after suffering injuries when a tree trunk came loose and pinned his leg to the side of a rocky embankment, fire officials said.

According to department reports, the man was hiking with a female friend in a stream bed, about 3/4 of a mile north of the Piʻiholo Water Treatment facility when the incident was reported at around 12:02 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2014.

Firefighters used a chainsaw and pry bar to free the man’s leg, and administered first aid for injuries the man sustained to his lower right leg, said Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

The man was then packaged onto a backboard and airlifted from the area to a landing zone due to bad terrain that would have hampered an exit by land, Mainaga said.

The man was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center by medics in stable condition with no life threatening injuries, Mainaga said.

Crews responding to the scene included Medic-2, firefighters from Makawao, rescue personnel from Kahului, and the department’s Air 1 helicopter.