REDMOND, OR -- A Connecticut woman was injured while hiking at Smith Rock State Park, and was unable to get back down from the summit unassisted. 56-year-old Dorothy Jankowski reportedly slipped while walking on the back side of Misery Ridge, and just after 10:30 am, another hiker who came across Jankowski where she'd been injured, called 911.

 
Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Bryan Husband says both the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and Redmond Fire and Rescue responded. "Redmond Fire, obviously being closest, and having on-duty personnel, made it there first, arriving at Ms. Jankowski's location at 11:24 in the morning. Our Search and Rescue volunteers were paged out, responded to our shop, and then continued on up to Smith Rock State Park, and they arrived at Ms. Jankowski's location at about 11:52."

Husband says Jankowski and her husband stayed where they were and waited for rescuers to arrive. "Ms. Jankowski was stabilized, and then she was loaded on to one of our titanium, wheeled litters, which is basically a basket for patients, and then it's on top of a wheel, in our case, it's a fat tire wheel with a disc brake. And she was transported back down the back side of Misery Ridge Trail." They then rafted her across the Crooked River.

As Search and Rescue Coordinator for the Sheriff's Office, Husband says climbing up Misery Ridge treats you to spectacular views, but it can be treacherous, and that's where he and his team come in. "[She] made it all the way to the top, on the back side, the area that overlooks the very popular monkey face rock formation, and in that area, while she was hiking, she sustained a significant injury."

9 volunteers also assisted Search and Rescue personnel with Jankowski's rescue. She was taken to St. Charles Redmond with non-life threatening injuries.