Pa. Firefighter Hurt by Chainsaw During Rescue

As crews were cutting a path, one firefighter hurt his leg with a chainsaw.

Aug. 26, 2009

2 min read

LINCOLN, Pa. --

Emergency crews in Lincoln Borough scrambled to rescue a man who fell into a ravine in an area known as Dead Man's Hollow.

By the time the rescue was over, a firefighter needed medical attention as well.

Channel 4 Action News' Amber Nicotra reported the situation started around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Two men were in a wooded area when one of the men got stuck down a steep ravine about a quarter of a mile into the woods.

His friend ran for help, ending up at the home of a deputy wildlife conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

When the conservation officer and the other man returned to the victim, they found he was too shaken and dehydrated to move, so they had to call for help, Nicotra reported.

"At the time of the evening and afternoon that he went in there, it was bad because nightfall was very, very close. And once it gets dark in there you can't see your hand in front of you. It's so dark. It's pitch black. Without a flashlight, you're taking your life in your hands really," said wildlife officer Regis Denne.

Since there isn't a direct path into the woods, fire crews had to cut one. As they were cutting a path, one firefighter hurt his leg with a chainsaw.

The firefighter is expected to be OK.

The man who fell down the ravine was rescued, but needed help to get out of the woods.

"When the medics got back to him it was decided we were probably going to have to carry him out. Cut a road back there to get him through the brush and trees and stuff," said Chief Don Bertok of the Lincoln Borough Volunteer Fire Department.

The man was able to walk the last 50 or so yards out of the woods himself. Witnesses at the scene told Channel 4 Action News the lost hiker didn't want further medical help.