From a release:

Med-Flight 1 conducted its fourth hoist rescue of the year on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, successfully airlifting an injured hiker off Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, located in Madison County.

According to the Virginia State Police, the mission began around 1:30 p.m. when the National Park Service requested assistance for a hiker who had suffered a shoulder injury and could not make the descent from the mountain. Old Rag is approximately 80 nautical miles from Med-Flight 1’s base in Chesterfield, Virginia.

The rescue team—consisting of Virginia State Police First Sergeant Jeffrey Weber, Chesterfield Flight Paramedic Chris Orr, and Chesterfield Firefighter Michael Burnett—hoisted the injured hiker off the mountain and transferred them to waiting EMS crews at the base.

This marks the fourth hoist rescue by Med-Flight 1 in 2025. A previous rescue on Old Rag took place on March 31. Additionally, the crew was recognized on July 17 by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs for a hoist rescue carried out last August along Saint Mary’s Falls Trail in Augusta County.

Med-Flight 1 is a joint operation between the Virginia State Police and the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Department.

Edited by Dan McDermott.