Injured Logger Rescued from Rough Terrain
Firefighters and logging crew members braved 500 feet of steep, uneven terrain late yesterday morning while rescuing 50-year-old Rob McKenzie after he had been injured by a rolling log near the bottom of an embankment.
McKenzie was a member of the crew felling trees in the Pilot Joe reforestation project and was struck by a log about two feet in diameter causing significant back and hip injuries at about 9:45 a.m.
Rescuers rigged a pulley system with a back board attached, then carried the backboard up the steep slope assisted by cohorts pulling the rope.
Crews made it to the top of the hill at about 11:35 and loaded McKenzie onto a truck to transport him to a Mercy Flights helicopter which carried him to the Rogue Regional Medical Center where he was reported in critical condition yesterday afternoon.
