Beverly Man's Call For Help Alerts Rescuers To Injured Backcountry Snowboarder On NH Mountain

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) — A National Guard helicopter rescued an injured backcountry snowboarder in northern New Hampshire who had fallen and struck some rocks, state Fish and Game conservation officers said.

The snowboarder, identified as Patrick McQuaide, 31, of Pelham, was on a solo trip Friday in an area called the Great Gulf in a ski run known as Turkey Shoot.

A backcountry skier, John Dwyer, 32, of Beverly, Massachusetts, saw McQuaide fall and skied toward him. There was no cellphone coverage, so he activated an emergency SOS switch on a tracking device, sending a message that McQuaide suffered serious injuries and was unable to walk.

"Due to the extreme remoteness of the area and the reported serious nature of the injuries, a call was made to the Army National Guard for the possibility of a helicopter rescue," Fish and Game Lt. Mark Ober, Jr. said in a news release. "The Guard was able to quickly assemble a crew and flew a Black Hawk helicopter north from Concord."

The helicopter lowered a medic onto the slope. With Dwyer's help, McQuaide was hoisted into the helicopter and brought to a hospital.

(© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)