by Blaine Howerton | NorthFortyNews.com
A heroic high-angle rescue in Northern Colorado brings together multiple agencies and showcases the grit of both patient and responders.
POUDRE CANYON, CO – A routine day of rock climbing turned life-threatening for Maggie, a Northern Colorado climber, when a refrigerator-sized boulder broke loose above her at Happy Hour Crag in the Poudre Canyon. The rock shattered against the cliff, sending fragments hurtling toward Maggie and her friends.
“It sounded like the entire mountain was falling,” Maggie recalled. “The sky was full of huge rocks … I didn’t know how to get out of the way.”
One of those boulders struck her in the upper thigh and hip, fracturing her pelvis and triggering severe internal bleeding.
The January 2024 incident demanded a swift, complex response. Maggie was stranded 300 feet up the cliffside in a remote area. Poudre Fire Authority’s Engine 7 and Captain Ryan Thomas were among the first to arrive. With guidance from one of the climbers who called 911, rescuers navigated the terrain and climbed to Maggie’s location.
“She was on a narrow ledge, conscious, but in excruciating pain,” said Thomas. “It took a lot of our skills, a lot of our energy, and a lot of our teamwork.”
Maggie remained remarkably calm and communicative throughout the high-stakes rescue despite her injuries. In coordination with Larimer County Search and Rescue, crews carried her across the frozen Poudre River to a helicopter that flew her to the hospital.
Thanks to the rapid response and coordination among first responders, Maggie fully recovered and has since returned to rock climbing and other outdoor adventures.
She was one of nine survivors honored last week at the 2nd Annual EMS Survivors Celebration, hosted by Poudre Fire Authority during National EMS Week. The event brings together survivors and the first responders who helped save their lives, highlighting the critical work of emergency medical teams throughout Northern Colorado.
For more on the Poudre Fire Authority and the annual EMS Survivors Celebration, visit poudre-fire.org.
Source: Poudre Fire Authority