Man sleeping in hammock killed when tree falls on Georgia campsite
Authorities said it took emergency teams about five hours to reach the remote campsite near Panther Creek Falls in the Cohutta Wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Injured hiker airlifted from campsite in Georgia National Forest
A hiker was airlifted from deep within the Cohutta Wilderness area of the Chattahoochee National Forest on Saturday after a tree fell on his campsite, where he and three other men were sleeping on hammocks. One man died after being trapped under the tree.
FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. – A man sleeping in a hammock deep in the Cohutta Wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia died Saturday when a tree fell on his campsite.
According to the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency, four men were camping near Panther Creek Falls. They were sleeping in hammocks when a tree fell on them early Saturday morning, trapping one of the men.
A father and daughter camping nearby rushed to help after hearing the tree fall and cries for help, officials said.
Authorities said it took emergency teams about five hours to reach the remote campsite after receiving the call at 2:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found one man dead and another with minor injuries. The father and daughter who stayed with the campers hiked out with the two uninjured campers and helped get them back to their car.
Emergency response crews driving through the dark to respond to the campsite.
(Fannin County Emergency Management Agency/Facebook / FOX Weather)
First responders requested air support to help get the injured hiker out of the area, Fannin County EMA said.
A helicopter was able to safely remove the injured hiker and take him to a staging area where he was stabilized and then taken to a hospital via ambulance.
Video from the Fannin County EMA showed the hiker being airlifted from the wooded area via helicopter.
Watch: Helicopter arrives to rescue injured hiker from campsite deep in Georgia national forest
Video shows an emergency responder rappelling down for a helicopter to transport an injured hiker from where a tree fell on his campsite.
Fannin County EMA said air support was critical to the response, helping significantly reduce the time it took to evacuate the injured hiker.
The man who died on the scene was also airlifted via helicopter out of the location.