Rescue workers aiding a teenage hiker, who fell unconscious after suffering from heat exhaustion Friday on the Appalachian Trail near Caratunk, helped cool her body temperature by using water from a nearby stream and applying ice packs, a state official said Tuesday.
A Maine Forest Service pilot flew Elyssa Bernardin, 14, of Saint-Lambert, Quebec, at about 7 p.m. to a spot accessible by ambulance. The ambulance then transported her to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, according to Mark Latti, communications director for the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
Bernardin was admitted to the hospital and released, though Latti said Tuesday he was not sure exactly when she was released.
Maine game wardens were called around 4 p.m. Friday to an area between Pierce Pond and the Kennebec River where witnesses reported the teen had been unconscious for several hours. Wardens, rangers from the Maine Forest Service and members of Bingham and Solon Fire-Rescue hiked into the area, Latti said.
“Victim had erratic breathing and was cooled off in the stream and with ice packs by medical personnel at the scene and she regained consciousness and was alert,” Latti said.
Latti said LifeFlight of Maine also responded but was not used.
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