Castlegar man rescued by teams from Trail, Rossland, Grand Forks and South Columbia
By Kyra Hoggan
Castlegar, Grand Forks, Rossland and South Columbia Search and Rescue, along with Trail’s Fire Rescue, were called out yesterday after Grand Forks police received a phone call about a Castlegar man in jeopardy under the Paulson Bridge, according to Grand Forks RCMP Sgt. Jim Fenske.
Fenske said the call came in at about 8:40 p.m., indicating a hiker was stranded on the rockface below the bridge.
“SAR teams did a high-angle rope rescue, rappelling down from the bridge deck,” he said. “They were able to secure him, then lower him down to the Rail Trail below.”
Highway 3 was closed in both directions for about two-and-a-half hours, but with a bypass route for light traffic.
This, after a semi crashed roughly a week ago, spilling timber across the bridge and down the rockface in question.
“He (the climber) was trying to recover some of this lumber,” Fenske said, adding the 50-year-old Castlegar man’s friend called the situation in to police after it became evident the man was unable to move either up or down the rockface.
He said the man was uninjured, but suffered some dehydration and muscle cramping after such an extended period clinging to the cliff.
