Injured hiker rescued from Catawba Falls Trail near Old Fort

OLD FORT – McDowell County emergency crews Sunday rescued an injured hiker who fell on the Catawba Falls Trail in western McDowell County.

The incident was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. Sunday on the popular trail in Pisgah National Forest near Old Fort, McDowell County Emergency Medical Service Capt. Donnie Tipton said.

The injured man was transported to Mission Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. No other patient information was released because of medical privacy laws.

The man was hiking with friends when he fell on a steep trail adjacent to Catawba Falls, the section from the lower falls to the upper falls, Tipton said. His friends were able to call 911 on a cell phone.

The hiker was injured about 1.5 miles from the trailhead. It took rescue crews about three hours to get the man out, Tipton said.

Rescue personnel from McDowell EMS, McDowell emergency management, McDowell County Rescue Squad, Old Fort Fire Department and Crooked Creek Fire Department responded to the call, Tipton said.